Labyrinth
by fyd818
Summary: At the center of every labyrinth is a monster. Political intrigue, arranged marriages, and the search for a place to call home: All tell their story of happiness and heartbreak, tragedy and hope. :NejiTen, ItaMari, SasuHina/GaaHina:
1. Home

Disclaimer: I don't own _Naruto_, nor any places, things, charcters, or ideas therein. The aforementioned belong to Masashi Kishimoto, Viz Media, Shonen Jump, and TV Tokyo, not me. I am writing this fic for entertainment purposes _only_, not monetary gain.

Summary: At the center of every labyrinth is a monster. Political intrigue, arranged marriages, and the search for a place to call home: A story of happiness and heartbreak, tragedy and hope. NejiTen

Rating: T

Warnings: Violence, secondary character death

Pairings: Neji/Tenten, Asuma/Kurenai, Tsunade/Jiraiya (others to be revealed - to give them away now would ruin the plot of the fic!)

**Dedication:** To _Mama Jo_ - my mother, my best friend, my co-author writer, my beta, my cohert in all things fun and only _slightly_ evil: I love you so much, and I hope your birthday is a happy and wonderful one! This fic is for you!

**Author's Note:** This fic is only _slightly_ alternate reality, inasmuch as there are _no_ ninja. I thought of this fic whenever its b-day recipient and I were talking one night, and I built the rest of it around her original thought. However, I think all the characters are still recognizable as themselves, and I like to think I retained the essences of what make them - well, themselves. It may seem _slightly_ confusing at first, but I promise the setup of things will be explained as we go along, so I really hope you'll stick with me. Thank you for reading, and I really hope you enjoy _Labyrinth!_

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><p><strong>.:Labyrinth:.<strong>

_-fyd818 & Mama Jo-_

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><p><strong>*~Chapter I~*<strong>

_~Home (Sweet Konoha?)~_

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><p>The closer they got to the gates of Konoha, the longer and quicker Tenten's adoptive older brother's strides became. As she all but trotted to keep up with him she resisted the urge to grab his backpack and haul him down to a more comfortable pace. Not only was it highly possible she would immediately have to duck an automatic defensive response, but she truly did not want to hamper in any way his joy in finally coming home. She knew Kakashi had spent his younger years in Konoha, his birthplace. He'd never exactly explained the details of why he'd left, although Tenten remained deeply grateful that he had; otherwise, she'd probably still be an unwanted street urchin begging for or stealing food - or even worse. His reasons for returning, however, were very clear. Jobs had been spotty at best for both of them the past few months. Kakashi hoped returning to Konoha would bring them some semblance of steady employment.<p>

By this time the gate guards had gotten to their feet, curiosity obviously aroused. Snatches of their conversation began to reach her sharp ears as the two men came several steps out into the road. "Hey, is that-?" "Naw, can't be-" "But look at that _hair!_ It's _gotta_ be-" _"KAKASHI!"_ On that simultaneous shout, they sprinted the last few steps and then just pounced. There really wasn't any other word for it, she decided.

Despite his chosen profession as a bodyguard-for-hire, Hatake Kakashi possessed an almost preternatural ability to become friends with whomever struck his fancy. Only in this case, she mused as she half-listened to the conversation, it seemed Kakashi knew these two from "the old days." During the ensuing backslapping and happy catching up, Tenten leaned against the wall of the guard shack and watched the unaccustomed, exotic, tantalizing vista visible to her through the massive but wide-open gates. The brightly painted, splendidly designed buildings made for a nice change of pace after the dry, monotonous brown of Suna, their last stop. Crowds of prosperously-dressed people walked _everywhere_, talking and laughing in the most carefree manner imaginable as they went about their business. The high humidity made the air feel heavy and slightly sticky, especially compared to Suna's desert climate. But the abundance of shade trees did a lot to offset the heat; plus a gentle, steady breeze blew through, providing some relief while making her nose twitch at the intoxicating blend of scents it carried. If every day in Konoha were this spectacular, Tenten had a feeling she wouldn't want to leave. She'd been in the aptly named Leaf Village for all of ten minutes, and already she loved it. _How could Kakashi ever bear to leave this place?_

"So, why're you back in town?" one of the guards asked. Her attention captured, Tenten tilted her head so she could better hear her brother's response.

"Work's been scarce in the surrounding lands." Kakashi sighed gustily. "So my kid sister and I packed up and came here. It's a long time since I was last in Konoha. I'm hoping things won't be as dry here as it is everywhere else."

"Huh? Kid sister?" the other guard said interestedly. "I don't remember you having a kid sister!" A face appeared in her peripheral vision, studying her intently. "She sure doesn't look a thing like you!"

Smothering her instinctive urge to backfist the peeper in the nose, Tenten put on a polite smile and returned to her place by Kakashi's side. The silver-haired, masked man tossed his arm around her shoulder as he laughed. "Kotetsu, Izumo, this is Tenten. I adopted her a few years back, taught her a few tricks of the trade. She's almost better than me now!"

The one who had tried to get a good look at her arched his visible eyebrow. "Better than you?"

Laughing, the other shook his head. "Way I remember it, Kakashi was never anything special - right, Izumo?" He snickered.

"Right!" Izumo agreed.

Tenten felt herself bristling slightly, though she maintained her smiling facade. But a quick, barely perceptible tightening of her brother's fingers on her shoulder told her to relax as he said, "Very funny, coming from the two goof-offs who are on _gate duty_ now. I was going to invite you out for drinks later, for old time's sake and all that, but I think you just ruined that." Keeping his arm around her shoulders, Kakashi turned her so they were both headed into the village. "Maybe I'll see you both around one of these days - back at the Academy, perhaps?"

"I know we were going to have to pay!" Kotetsu called after them, snickering again. "They call ducking out on the bill 'pulling a Kakashi' now, you know!"

Kakashi laughed and waved a farewell. As he and Tenten got out of earshot, he sighed contentedly. "Just what I've always wanted to be: famous. So, what do you think of Konoha, hmm?"

Tenten casually shrugged her brother's arm off her shoulder. "Except for the jokers at the gate," she grinned a little as he laughed again, "from what I've seen so far, I don't know how you could have left. It's so beautiful here! There's so much color everywhere, and everyone seems so, well, _happy_."

Briefly, a shadow flickered over the part of Kakashi's face she could see. But just as quickly it vanished, hidden behind his usual cheerful attitude. "Eh, there were a number of reasons." Nudging her shoulder, he pointed toward a tall building, towering above the rest and dwarfing the still-impressive fence ringing it. "See that? That estate belongs to the leading family of the village, clan by the name of Hyuuga. Interesting thing about Konoha: there was _quite_ a battle to decide the village's leadership."

"So? Lots of other villages settled things the same way." Tenten had never received any "real" schooling since they moved around so much, but Kakashi had taught her how to read, write, and do math. He'd also shared with her little pieces of history about each country or village they went to, all of which seemed to have common beginnings. Each ruled by a leading family, the headship was invariably decided by one of two ways: either a majority vote of a council of elders selected the village head from the top clan; or the office passed down to the eldest child of the last head of the ruling family.

"Ah, but here's the interesting part." Kakashi raised one finger the way he did when he was going into "professor mode," as Tenten teasingly called it. "Two exceptionally powerful clans, the Hyuuga and the Uchiha, fought an extraordinary battle at Konoha's founding, both determined to become the leading clan. Ultimately the Hyuuga defeated their rivals. However, during the conflict the Hyuuga learned to respect the spirit and might of the Uchiha so highly, so instead of destroying that clan according to the usual custom, they made it the official police force for the village, second in power only to themselves." Dropping his hand, he tucked it into his pocket. "Even now, Konoha's one of the safest villages you'll ever visit."

"Interesting." Tenten let the silence stretch between them for a little while before she pointed out the obvious. "That being the case ... _why_, exactly, are we here?"

Kakashi paused, staring thoughtfully toward the largest building inside the Hyuuga estate. His eye not pulled shut by a scar crinkled shut as he grinned. "Because," he said simply, "I wanted to come home, and bring you with me."

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><p>Hyuuga Hinata nervously tapped the tips of her index fingers together, pale lavender eyes focused on the door of her father's office. She'd been waiting since just after midday for a chance to talk to him - nearly four hours, by her reckoning. Many people had been ushered into and out of the office by her father's executive assistant since her arrival. He'd been closeted with the most recent to come for the longest time of any, with no indication of the meeting's end in sight. She knew he knew she was there, even though she'd received no indication of it. While it was possible he intended the long wait to be a test of her resolve, she considered it more likely he simply didn't care to know what prompted her visit. Not for the first time, she wondered what her life would have been like if she'd been born the son he'd wanted.<p>

_Maybe,_ she thought miserably, _I should just go home and wait for the evening meal to talk to him._

Sighing, she began to gather herself to leave, just as the door opened again. In contrast to the previous times, Hyuuga Hiashi appeared in the opening as well as his guests. The three men shared bows with each other, and then the other two - a harsh-looking man with black eyes and equally dark hair, the second possessing a kind face, wide dark eyes, and ruffled brown hair - departed. Hiashi stared after them, mouth drawn down in a deeper than usual frown, before he turned. "Hinata, come."

Jumping to her feet, she scampered after her father, _very_ careful not to trip over the hem of her kimono. The assistant closed the shouji door behind her, then noiselessly went to his own desk in one corner. Before she could take more than a couple of steps, Hiashi had already knelt on a cushion and unrolled a scroll. "You wished to speak to me?" He didn't even look up at her as he spoke.

Hinata scurried across the room to kneel across the desk from him, wishing she had a fan or something like it to occupy her hands. Feeling the uncomfortably familiar heat of a blush creeping into her neck, she mashed her index fingers together again. "I-I want t-to go t-to the market t-tomorrow," she whispered. It took all the courage she'd gathered to make that one simple statement, but now the words were finally out, she felt ... relieved. The knot of tension in her stomach eased, letting the queasiness she'd been fighting ever since morning finally melt away.

"Send one of the servants." Hiashi's voice carried the note of finality that stemmed in equal parts from his own nature as well as his place of unquestioned authority as the head of the family and the village.

Determined not to lose her courage, Hinata curled her hands into fists and forced her shoulders to straighten a little more. "I-I want t-to go _myself_," she said with all the firmness she could muster, all the while wishing she could say what was really in her heart: _I want freedom, Father, and self-confidence, and a servant can't get that for me!_

Hiashi's eyes, even paler than her own, snapped up to meet hers, flashing in annoyance as they narrowed. "Why is it so important that you go yourself? What is so urgent that someone else cannot take care of it for you? Someone whose _job_ it is to do it for you." His voice carried a warning.

She expected that response. It was nearly word for word the same he'd given the last several dozen times she'd wanted to do something outside the compound. "I'm not asking t-to g-go alone. Of c-course I-I'll t-take guards with me."

Lowering his gaze again to his paperwork, Hiashi shook his head. "Tell one of the servants what you require, and it will be gotten for you," he said. Once again, his voice rang with finality.

That was that. Once Hiashi denied someone something twice, there was no changing his mind. Hinata stood, bowed, and turned to go. Sighing, she murmured a goodbye and left the office. Again, her father didn't even look up. The assistant smoothly rose and opened the door for her. She hadn't any nerve left to look at the man to see if there were any hint of pity in his eyes, or only contempt.

Outside the waiting room door, the two guards who had come with her earlier fell into place behind her. As she made her way back across the Hyuuga grounds from her father's office in the administrative tower to the sprawling main house, she mentally replayed the scene. Hinata could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times she'd been outside the gates. Even within the house, let alone the open grounds, she was seldom unaccompanied, other than in the privacy of her own quarters. Hiashi was nothing if not careful. Some even, in whispers of course, called him paranoid. Seeing trouble or danger around every corner and behind every bush, he, Hinata and her younger sister, Hanabi, never went anywhere without at least one guard. Once inside the house, she went straight to her rooms. One of the guards closed the door behind her, closing her back into her obsessively protected solitude.

Going straight through the suite into her bedroom, Hinata knelt next to her low bed. Even though she knew no one could hear or see her, she fought her second battle of the day, this one to keep from giving way to tears and despair. Raking her lower lip between her teeth, she used the pain as a focal point. Slowly her shuddering eased as her breathing steadied and the burning in her eyes receded.

Only when she felt calm again did she reach under it and withdraw the bundle of clothing Ino had smuggled in to her. With soft fingers, she unfolded the garments, smiling at the difference between them and what she wore at the moment. These were some of Ino's own clothes; expensive and well-made, of course, but flamboyantly modern rather than elaborately traditional. She fought back a surge of nearly hysterical giggles.

After so, so long, she'd gotten up the courage to leave the estate anyway, in defiance of her father's prohibition. She knew the guards' schedules as they made their rounds; she knew with bitter intimacy every nook and cranny of the estate; she knew to the inch and second where and when to execute her plan. She'd been careful to establish a habit of occasionally skipping breakfast to give herself as much time as possible. Sooner or later she would surely be missed, but whatever punishment she'd receive would be worth it. She just _had_ to find out what life was like outside the gates!

And tomorrow, she _would._

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><p>Leaving her brother asleep in their small hotel suite, Tenten left at sunrise to visit Konoha's marketplace and rustle up some food for breakfast. They'd done some rudimentary job-searching the day before, but without any promising leads. She wasn't holding out great hopes considering what Kakashi had told her, but she could definitely understand his wanting to come back home. <em>Especially<em> since home was Konoha, one of the most beautiful villages she'd seen in her nineteen years of life.

Despite the early hour, the marketplace bustled with activity. Tenten wove her way through the crowds with ease, doing her best to blend in while she looked around her. Everywhere she turned, Tenten met smiling faces, friendly laughter, and bright colors, a mix that made her relax a little. Even if they _didn't_ find work in Konoha, she hoped they'd be able to stick around for a while. Maybe they could even open up that _dojo_ like they'd talked about a time or two.

_Yes, we've had a lot of good times, seen and done a lot of interesting things. But I can't remember anyplace we've been as someplace where I'd want to put down some roots. Here in Konoha, though - I think I could settle down here and be happy._

Although Tenten intended to go to shops only selling food, she found herself drawn into others, too. One was a dress shop. Though she preferred wearing pants and a loose top, since they were more comfortable and easier to move around in, she couldn't help but admire the beautiful fabrics, patterns, and colors of the _kimono_ and _yukata_ inside, as well as the eyecatching modern fashions. She also visited a flower shop, where she immersed herself in the sweet and spicy scents of a wide range of gorgeous blooms, some of which she'd never seen before, for a few wonderful minutes.

She chose a bookstore for her last pleasure stop. Whenever Tenten saved a little extra money, she would visit a bookseller and find a new novel to read. Kakashi did the same, though he usually bought the newest _Icha Icha_ book. Tenten had no interest in the brightly colored tomes, and not _just_ because she was not yet old enough to read them. She prefered something with adventure, mystery, _maybe_ a little romance thrown in for good measure.

She spent the most time in the bookstore, browsing the shelves to look for something that caught her eye for the next time she had a little extra to spend. When she finally exited, Tenten realized that time had gotten away from her. Kakashi would be awake soon, and though she'd left him a note, he might get concerned if she was gone much longer.

Sternly curtailing the urge to make any more unnecessary stops, Tenten hurried through the market to make her important purchases. Once she had them all tucked safely away in the worn leather bag she wore over her shoulder, she hurried back toward the hotel, doing some mental number-crunching to figure out how much money she and Kakashi had left as well as what, exactly, she was going to fix for their breakfast.

Nearly out of the market, close by the dress shop she'd stopped at earlier, Tenten heard a soft cry of fear - or pain. Her head snapped in that direction, eyes seeking ahead of her into the dark alleyway from which the soft sound had come. In her hand she clutched the knife that dropped into her palm at a twitch of her wrist, the blade extended up over her wrist, hidden by her carefully turned arm.

"C'mon, girlie," she heard a rough male voice saying. "Pretty thing like you, you gotta be here to make some purchases. Whattaya say you give us your money instead, hmm? We gotta eat, you know, more than you need a pretty new dress or something silly like that."

"Yeah," a second voice, also male, agreed. "And after we got your money, I think we gonna party. Gonna have some dessert before breakfast."

Sliding silently just inside the entrance of the alley, Tenten waited a scant few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the semidarkness. The moment they did, she spied the assailants - two beefy, dirty men whose bellies seemed to indicate no missed meals - and their victim. Despite the fact that her back was literally against the wall, the well-dressed young woman's head was up, back straight and hands up in a defensive posture, shaky though it was. Her face, delicate as a doll's, was pale and determined, half-covered by midnight hair. Tenten noticed and filed her observations away in less than two second. Taking another step forward, she lifted her arm so the blade of her knife glinted in the single shaft of sunlight filtering into the dingy alley. "Problem, boys?"

Both men spun to face her, faces set in sneers of contempt. "Not with the police," one pointed out. "Too scrawny to put up any fight," the other agreed. "Let's get her!" they chorused. As one, they pounded toward her, heads down in a move that indicated they planned to use brute force to take her out.

Another quick flick of her wrist shifted the knife in her hand. "Run!" she shouted to the girl. Without waiting to make sure the other obeyed, Tenten easily spun away from the first thug's freight-train attack, allowing him to ram himself head-first into the wall behind her and stun himself. Using her momentum to swing herself around, arm first, she raked the blade of her knife across the other man's cheek, drawing a thin, stick-straight line of blood across his unshaven jaw. The second man's eyes went wide with shock and fear. Grabbing the arm of his dazed fellow and slinging it around his shoulder, he hauled him away around the corner and out of sight.

After making sure both men were gone for good, Tenten slid her knife back into its sheath and turned back to the girl, who looked to be about her own age. She stood frozen in place, her strangely-colored eyes as wide as the men's, only with admiration instead of fear. "Who _a-are_ you?" she half-breathed, half-stuttered.

Tenten sketched a bow. "Tenten. I'm a traveling bodyguard-for-hire with my brother, Hatake Kakashi. We just came back to Konoha looking for work."

Just as quickly, the lavender-eyed girl bent in a bow of her own. "I-I'm H-Hyuuga H-Hinata," she whispered. "And I-I think my father will want t-to meet you."

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ So, to reiterate, if anything seems confusing, I promise it'll all be explained as we go along. Thanks for checking out my story, and I hope you enjoyed the first chapter!


	2. Good Fortune

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _xxxxUnKNoUnxxxx_ and _DarkAnonymous324_ for your reviews, and everyone that put this story on their alert and favorites lists!

**Author's Note:** I feel the need to explain one thing before we get into the chapter. Since this is a somewhat alternate reality, the Uchiha massacre thus did not happen. I'm writing Itachi and Sasuke more as they were in canon before that happened, when they still had that brotherly bond, and how that might have continued on had the massacre not happened. I _did_ try to keep them as close to themselves as I could, though, all things considered, so I hope that translated well. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter II~*<strong>

_~Good Fortune~_

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><p>Tenten soon discovered the Hyuuga estate to be even more impressive up-close than it appeared from a distance. She remembered Kakashi telling her only the day before that Hinata's clan held the leading position in the village. So where, she wondered, were the young lady's guards? Surely even a minor member of the family wouldn't be allowed out in the market all by herself, no matter how safe a place Konoha was! A distant relative could be used just as effectively as a pawn as a more significant member, should someone canny enough come along to try it. Kakashi had shared some of his experiences with her, when in order to prevent a repeat he'd been hired by an important clan <em>after<em> such a thing had happened.

_And yet- She said something about wanting her father to meet me,_ went through Tenten's mind. In between automatically scanning their surroundings for any possible danger she stole doubtful glances at the unusually pale girl towing her along. _As unlikely as it seems, maybe she's not such a minor member of the Hyuuga after all._

That uneasy suspicion exploded into fullfledged certainty when they reached the entrance to the compound. Everyone in the visible vicinity went into an uproar when Hinata walked up to the gates - apparently, the _wrong_ side of the gates. Tenten tried to remain invisible as the young woman was surrounded by commotion - although even throughout the tumult, she never let go of Tenten's wrist.

"All right, everyone, that's enough!" A tallish man in a guard captain's uniform pushed his way to them. "Search details are dismissed! Gate security, back to your stations!" The area around them cleared rapidly. Taking an oversized toothpick out of his mouth, the new arrival bowed and said, "Lady Hinata, it's good to see that you are safe." As he straightened, he swept Tenten with a piercing look that, she felt uncomfortably, missed no detail of her appearance or deportment. However, when he returned his gaze to her companion, she did not miss the almost imperceptible softening of his stern expression. "Milady, I have orders to escort you directly to your father's office upon your, um, return."

"I-I underst-stand, Captain Genma," the girl replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "I even ex-expected it. We will g-go with you n-now."

He hesitated, looking again at Tenten. "Pardon me, Lady Hinata, but if I may ask-"

Hinata's grip tightened an incredible degree more on her wrist. "Sh-she saved m-my l-life. I w-want her to c-come with m-me." Captain Genma bowed an acknowledgement and gestured for the two girls to precede him.

As they walked along a walkway of pristine white stone leading to the tall building Kakashi had pointed out the day before, Tenten couldn't help but take quick glances around the immaculate grounds. She'd read about places like this, but never in her wildest dreams had she ever expected to be _in_ one! With every step toward the intimidating structure, her nerves twisted tighter, and she couldn't help but wonder: _What on earth was Kakashi going to think?_

Inside, they quickly crossed a vast circular white space, past a blur of staring faces. They entered an upward-spiraling corridor paneled and floored in subtle patterns of blond woods. Tenten felt as though she wore a bracelet fashioned from ice, so cold were Hinata's encircling fingers.

Finally the corridor came to an end in front of a double set of massive wooden doors carved with a clan crest. Four guards stood there, a pair on either side. The innermost two men immediately swung the panels open. Captain Genma hung back as Hinata led Tenten into what was obviously a waiting area. They crossed to an inner door, this one a normal shouji, its rice paper panels delicately figured with white-on-white designs. Just before they reached it, it slid open. As soon as they'd passed through, the man who'd opened it from the other side slipped out and silently shut it again behind them.

Hinata had still not let go of Tenten's wrist. In fact, Tenten could no longer feel her hand. They approached the low desk on the far side of the room, the young woman's entire body now visibly shaking, a violent trembling that physically communicated itself through her deathgrip. Frankly, Tenten couldn't blame her. Besides the fact that the office they were standing in seemed designed in its austere elegance to be oppressively intimidating, the glare in the icy white eyes of the dove grey kimono-clad man seated behind the desk made _her_ knees go weak - and he hadn't even seemed to notice her yet.

Falling to her knees, Hinata yanked Tenten down with her and bowed low, pale eyes fixed firmly on the floor. The silence stretched out - and out - and out. Tenten wished for a crazy moment that he would say somethng, _anything_, just to break that awful silence; then just as quickly hoped he wouldn't, fearing it would be intolerably worse.

"Well." Even Tenten flinched at the biting chill in that single word when the as-yet-unnamed man finally spoke. "From the clothes you are wearing, I see you somehow induced the Yamanaka girl to assist you in your defiance of me."

"N-no, Father." Hinata did not sit up but spoke from her bowing position. "Ino knows n-nothing about th-this. At f-first I j-just wanted t-to see what I l-looked like in what everyb-body else wears. That's w-why she b-brought them. Th-then, when I went to g-give them b-back to her, she l-laughed and s-said I l-looked so g-good in them, to j-just k-keep them, she had p-plenty more. I d-didn't have the idea m-myself until d-days af-after that." She paused, then added in a whispered rush, "I o-only w-wanted t-to s-see the v-village l-like a n-normal p-person w-would!"

Silence fell again. Tenten marveled at the other girl, not knowing if she could have made such a response in the face of such stifling disapproval. _And this is her _father_?_ she thought incredulously.

"'Like a normal person.' This from the lips of the heiress of the Hyuuga, the future leader of Konoha!" At those scornful, mocking words Tenten heard the tiniest of whimpers escape Hinata's lips. Another pause, and his voice suddenly cracked like one of the little fireworks that were set off at New Year's. "And who is this person you have seen fit to involve in this disgraceful affair?"

_Please, don't mind me, I'm nobody, and if it's okay with you, I'll just be going now._ At the same moment those words skittered through Tenten's mind, she heard Hinata reply, "This is T-T-Tenten. She s-saved m-me. She's here with her b-brother. B-Both are b-b-b-bodyguards f-for hire."

Tenten imagined she could actually feel his searingly cold gaze fix on her. "You, girl: Who is your brother?"

Having realized long ago that she was suddenly face-to-face with the leader of the village, Tenten deepened her bow until her forehead touched the floor. "He is Hatake Kakashi, Lord Hyuuga, a man of Konoha."

"Hn." Used to people reacting in surprise and awe at hearing the name, Tenten listened closely for it in that coldly contemptuous voice and felt surprised on detecting it. When he spoke again, his tone was less severe. "Sit up, girl. Have you or your brother come on commission to this village, or are you looking for work?"

She obeyed, though she had to clear her throat twice before she could speak again. Even though he didn't look as severe as he had when she first came in, she still couldn't shake off the intimidation induced by the man. She instantly decided she'd rather face down twenty assassins than him any day. "We've come looking for work, Lord Hyuuga."

He nodded once, studying her from beneath lowered brows with those pale, pale eyes. "Can you read and write?"

Allowing her gaze to drift over his shoulder, Tenten focused on the scroll hanging on the wall. "'A man's leadership of his village means nothing if his home is wrought with despair,'" she read easily.

One eyebrow tilted upwards. "Impressive," he said. "My daughter, apparently, needs a bodyguard who can protect her at all hours of the day and night, which you can do since you are a female, and also prevent her from indulging in another such outrageous escapade. As for your wages..." He named a figure that made Tenten's eyes widen slightly. "Hinata, you and I will discuss additional consequences of your actions at a later time - as well as the precise manner in which you left the estate. For now, you may both go. On your way, Tenten, tell Genma where your brother is lodging, then send him in to me." He turned his attention to the scroll unrolled on the desk before him, his hair - almost as dark as his daughter's - falling forward to curtain his face from view.

Tenten's ire briefly flared at being so abruptly dismissed - not to mention the fact that she hadn't even been given time to think about the job, let alone accept or reject it! - but relief almost instantly overwhelmed it. Hinata tugged on Tenten's wrist again; the two girls quietly slipped out of the office and all but fled across the reception area. Despite feeling dazed and out of touch with reality, she managed to tell the guard captain the address of her and Kakashi's hotel. Then, as he went into the office they'd just quitted, Hinata tilted her head to indicate Tenten should follow her and (finally!) let go of the brunette's wrist.

"This b-building is almost all offices," she whispered. "P-please c-come with me, and we'll g-go to my quarters in the m-main h-house."

Tenten bowed. "Yes, Lady Hinata," she said, her tone sounding unusually subdued even to herself. And did she imagine it, or did her new charge seem to be blinking back tears as she turned to lead the way?

Neither girl spoke again as they walked from the tower to the main house. Tenten experienced a brief but intense desire to throw out her arms and embrace the warmth and sunlight after the wintry atmosphere of the Hyuuga lord's office, so in contrast with the vibrancy of the village he ruled. Her charge, however, didn't relax until they reached a luxurious suite of rooms filled with all the appointments a woman of her status deserved, as well as the color her father's office conspicuously lacked.

The raven-haired heiress turned to Tenten, her fingers fidgeting nervously in front of her midriff. A painfully intense look filled her eyes. She seemed to be struggling to say something, but after a moment gave it up with a soft sigh as she looked away. "H-Have you had any b-breakfast?" she asked softly.

Tenten blinked at the unexpectedly prosaic question, just then realizing she still carried the leather bag full of food she'd purchased in the market; had still had it, in fact, all through that nightmarish interview. "No," she replied just as softly. Pulling the strap off her shoulder and over her head, she lifted it in the air with a sheepish smile. "This was supposed to be breakfast for myself and my brother."

Hinata moved to press a button set in a panel next to the wooden frame of the outer door. "I-I'll call for a servant to b-bring us something," she said. "I-I sneaked out b-before b-breakfast, and I-I felt too ex-excited to eat while in the m-market." Spreading her arms, she indicated their surroundings. "W-Welcome t-to your new home," she whispered.

* * *

><p>Uchiha Itachi crossed the courtyard of his family's estate in several long strides, sliding open the door to the main room of the main house with more force than his usual easygoing personality warranted. "What is this?" he demanded, holding up the thin slip of paper in his hand.<p>

To his chagrin, the only people present to witness his outburst were his mother, Mikoto, and his younger brother, Sasuke, who were seated across a low table from each other having tea. They stared at him with dark eyes that mirrored his own, except for the puzzlement filling theirs as they looked from his face to the piece of paper he dangled in his outstretched hand and back again.

Sasuke scrambled to his feet, reaching out for the paper as he advanced across the room. Itachi promptly snatched it away from the eighteen-year-old's grasp, trying to moderate his scowl as he ignored his brother's at the same time. "Where is Father?" he asked Mikoto.

She shrugged gracefully. "At police headquarters, I should think," she replied. "It _is_ the middle of the day." Despite the light lilt in her voice, her eyes held an anxious expression as she stared at her older son. "Shall I pour you a cup of tea, my son?"

"He'll be home for dinner," Sasuke interjected helpfully, still leaning around as he tried to get a look at what Itachi steadfastly kept hidden from him.

Resisting the urge to poke him in the forehead as he had done when they were younger, Itachi sighed. "I thought he was supposed to be off today?" Although he'd meant to sound firm, his words came out as more of a question.

Once again, Mikoto shrugged. "A messenger from headquarters arrived not too long after you'd finished your breakfast and left us. Your father said he couldn't tell me what the problem was, just that something important had come up and he had to go immediately."

Reading her body language, Itachi saw that his mother knew about the contents of the letter he'd just read - she just wasn't wanting to talk about it. But he couldn't figure out if she was waiting until Fugaku got home, or if she didn't want to discuss matters with Sasuke still in the room. "I suppose it can wait a little longer," he sighed and bowed slightly. "Excuse me for bursting in on you so rudely, Mother, little brother." He slipped out and started back toward his room in the opposite wing of the sprawling house.

Unsurprisingly, he heard the door rattle open and closed again behind him. A few seconds later, Sasuke caught up to his older brother, altering his strides as he tried to match Itachi's longer ones. "Come on, big brother," he wheedled. "You're the next leader of the clan, and I'm supposed to be your main advisor. Can't you tell me what's so desperate?"

For a brief moment, Sasuke no longer appeared eighteen. Itachi saw him as an eight year old again, the spoiled little brother who always managed to be the very worst of pests at the very worst of times. Itachi adored his sibling, but sometimes, his brother's hero worship and desire to be involved in everything Itachi did got a little annoying. "Perhaps later," he said distantly. "Right now, we've both got other important matters needing our full attention. Or I do, at least."

Sasuke's expression shifted into a scowl as he crossed his arms and slinked off in the opposite direction. Surprised he'd given up so easily, Itachi stared after him. _He's planning something. I'll have to be careful to keep the letter with me, so he won't get a chance to read it._ At the reminder of the note, he lifted it to glare at the precise, if somewhat hurried, calligraphy again.

_What does Father plan, and why didn't he talk to me before he proceeded even this far?_ Frustrated at his father's apparant lack of trust and his own naivety, Itachi half-slammed the door to his room while composing ten different responses in his mind. Then, as a new thought occurred to him, he froze with his hand halfway to his pen. _Did he, perhaps, just _forget_ to tell me?_ It didn't seem likely, but Fugaku _had_ been acting distant and distracted as of late. As not just the head of the Uchiha clan, but also the head of Konoha's police force, with the attendant pressure and pride involved in maintaining the village's safety and security at high levels, there usually was more than enough going on to keep him preoccupied.

Withdrawing his hand, Itachi leaned back in his seat and turned his gaze to the window over his desk. _For now, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt._ Sighing, he lifted his left hand toward his forehead, then paused when he realized that he'd clenched his fist around the troublesome dispatch. One by one, he forced the muscles of his hand to relax, then laid the note on the desk and smoothed the wrinkles out as best he could.

_Father, what are your intentions? Why have you done this?_

* * *

><p>Things apparently got accomplished very quickly within the walls of the Hyuuga estate. Within ten minutes, a pair of female servants arrived with trays of food. They swiftly set out an array of mouthwatering dishes on a beautifully crafted low table set in front of sliding doors that were opened to reveal a lush garden. Tenten followed Hinata's action in kneeling on the silken cushions placed around the table.<p>

"Please eat, T-Tenten," Hinata said as she lifted a teapot and poured for both of them. "If there's ever anything y-you w-would l-like to h-have, anything y-you especially l-like, p-please don't hesitate t-to ask f-for it."

Tenten murmured her thanks, suddenly feeling much less hungry. An awkward silence fell as they began to eat. She noticed the heiress apparently didn't have much of an appetite either. She wondered what Hinata was thinking, now that events had slowed. Did she regret her impulsive action of insisting Tenten remain with her? Had she realized her father evidently intended for Tenten to be the heiress's jailer, as well as her bodyguard?

Her thoughts took a sideways jump. And what of her brother? Had the guard captain (Genma, was it?) found him and told him what was going on? Unconsciously she bit her lip, wishing she'd thought to send her leather bag with the captain, so Kakashi could have breakfast as well.

Another crew of servants showed up with a rolled up futon for Tenten, which they carried into Hinata's bedroom, along with an intricately carved chest to hold her belongings. Tenten blinked at it in awe. By far larger than anything she'd ever owned in her life, she thought ruefully that when someone finally brought her belongings to her, their number would seem so pitiful after being placed inside something so grand.

After breakfast, Hinata summoned her maid to help her freshen up and change back into her normal kimono; just in case, she confided, her father decided he wanted to talk to her further. Only a few minutes after she disappeared into the bathing area, the shouji door into the sitting room of the heiress's quarters rattled open, startling Tenten, who'd been admiring one of the painted scrolls adorning the walls.

Yet another servant - the fifth one she'd seen since she'd entered Hinata's quarters, or maybe the sixth or the seventh - slipped in, carrying the familiar packs containing the few belongings she'd left at the hotel. However, unlike when the others had come in, two guards hovered in the doorway watching. He set them down a few paces away inside the door, then bowed and left, all without raising his head, or even so much as _looking_ at her. Her attention caught, she felt her forehead pucker as she stared after him. _I wonder what _that _was all about? They didn't take their eyes off him for a second!_ Tenten sighed as she went to lift the backpack and much smaller hip pack. _I sure hope someone - like, oh, Kakashi! - shows up with my katana and the rest of my weapons._ She took them into the bedroom, her mind still worrying over the oddness of this latest visitation from the servants' quarters and indeed, the overall atmosphere of the establishment. _I've been here only an hour, and already I can't get over how ... _tense_ everyone is. It's like they're waiting for something or someone to snap._ She could almost _feel_ the tension singing along her own nerves, responding to what she sensed in everyone else. _What in the world have I gotten myself into?_

_Knock! Knock-knock! Knock-knock!_

Tenten jumped up and ran for the sitting room door, recognizing that knock. Sliding it open, she launched herself at the person on the other side, wrapping her arms around his neck as she kissed his masked cheek. "Kakashi!" she cried.

Grinning, her brother lifted her off her feet in a brief hug and then teasingly batted at one of her hair buns after he'd set her down again. "You little genius," he said admiringly. "We haven't even been here twenty-four hours yet, and already you've found us _both_ jobs."

Brightening, Tenten took Kakashi's hand and pulled him into the sitting room. "You found one, too?"

"Yep. Just in the middle of reading your note a knock came on the door, and I opened it to find an old friend of mine standing there-"

"Kakashi, are you 'old friends' with _everyone_ in this village?" Tenten broke in, scoffing incredulously.

"Stop interrupting me, Panda. Now where was I? Oh yes. Anyway, Genma told me that you'd been hired on to be the Hyuuga heiress's personal bodyguard, and Lord Hyuuga wished to speak with me immediately. He said to pack up all our belongings and follow him immediately." He indicated her bags. "Hope I didn't miss anything."

Tenten waved her hand. "Just my katana, and shuriken, and a few other little things like that - which you'd better have brought with you, by the way," she added, knowing with absolute certainty that he would have. It was one of their major rules, never to allow anyone but themselves to have possesion of the tools of their livelihood. Besides, she'd noticed the bundle on his back when he'd hugged her. "Go on, get to the good part!" She hoped, hoped, _hoped_ that Lord Hyuuga had hired Kakashi to be a guard of some sort for the premises. Although accustomed to being away from her brother for short periods of time, she had a feeling her newest job was somewhat more - _permanent_ than any of her others. She didn't relish the idea of not getting to see Kakashi but maybe every once in a while.

"Hmm, if you insist. _Anyway_, Lord Hyuuga asked if I had any prior commitments in the village almost before I even made it all the way into his office. When I replied in the negative, he instantly named a figure and said I was hired as his personal bodyguard." Chuckling nervously, he rubbed the back of his head. "This all feels rather sudden, but..."

"I know what you mean." Tenten nodded. "Oh, I hoped, hoped, _hoped_ that Lord Hyuuga would offer you a position here! When I told him you were my brother, I could tell he was impressed, even though he tried awfully hard not to let on he was."

Kakashi patted her on top of her head. "_Someone_ has to keep an eye on you, after all." Even behind his mask, it was obvious he was grinning.

"Oh!"

The soft, startled exclamation behind them brought their attention to Hinata, now standing in the doorway between her bedroom and the private sitting room of her suite.

"Lady Hinata!" Tenten bowed. "May I introduce to you my brother, Hatake Kakashi."

The Hyuuga's cheeks flushed bright red as she pushed the tips of her index fingers together nervously. "I-It's a p-pleasure t-to meet you," she said shyly.

"And you as well." Kakashi followed Tenten's lead and bowed deeply. "Please excuse the intrusion, Lady Hinata. Your father just hired me as his personal bodyguard. I wanted to come tell my sister before I began my official duties."

A soft smile lit Hinata's delicate features. "I-I'm glad," she whispered. "I-I s-so hoped that F-Father hiring T-Tenten wouldn't c-cause problems and separate the t-two of you. "

Kakashi offered another quick bow, then swatted Tenten's other hair bun just before passing her bundled weapons to her. "Farewell, ladies. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again." He slipped out, quietly sliding the door shut behind him.

Hinata padded across the room, her long, thin fingers plucking nervously at the sleeve of her lavender silk kimono. "Your brother is n-nice," she whispered. "I l-look forward to knowing him b-better. I'm glad F-Father hired him, too. And I know you'll have t-to c-call me 'Lady' sometimes, b-but p-please, in h-here, I'm j-just Hinata." She smiled wistfully.

Tenten smiled back, finally feeling a little more comfortable about the fast-paced events of the morning, and the dizzying turnaround in her and Kakashi's fortunes. "I am, as well," she replied. "Thank you, Hinata."

Despite the strange feeling pervading the Hyuuga estate, perhaps working there wouldn't be quite so bad, after all.

_Note to self: Next time you see Kakashi, apologize for _ever_ doubting him._

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ So some questions have been answered - and yet more have arisen. Thank you all again so much for your interest in my story, and I'll see you all again for the next chapter!


	3. News

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks**: goes out to _DarkAnonymous324_ and _Chibi-Kyuubi-Chan_ for your wonderful and supportive reviews, and all the people who have put this story on your favorite and alert lists!

**Author's Note:** I know this story is starting out rather slowly, and that Neji has yet to make an appearance. But I promise that I'm working my way up to the action, and that he'll make his appearance fairly soon. However, chapter three brings in four familiar faces, and their (important!) roles in this story, plus explains why Itachi so upset in the last chapter! Thanks again for reading _Labyrinth_, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

><p><strong>*~Chapter III~*<strong>

_~News~_

* * *

><p>Uzumaki Naruto burst through the doors into Konoha's small newspaper office, wildly waving his notepad in the air as he shouted his news excitedly. "It's the story of the year!"<p>

Directly on his heels, Sarutobi Konohamaru nearly ran into the orange windsuit-clad boy's back. Popping around the blond, he nodded enthusiastically and grinned. "Or the _decade_!" he crowed. "Maybe even the _century_!"

Naruto directed a fierce scowl at his underling. "Stay out of this, Konohamaru!" he growled. "You weren't even _there_!"

"Yeah, and whose fault is _that?_" the younger boy shot back, frowning just as ferociously. "You snuck off without me!" Naruto's glare intensified until, with a sigh, Konohamaru went to sit down at the desk he and Naruto shared. He didn't say anything else, merely set aside his camera and reached for the pile of photos piled there.

At one of the two desks placed at right angles to each other in the back corner of the room Naruto's boss, who was also Konohamaru's uncle and guardian, looked up from where he sat hunched over a _shougi _board. Reluctantly he pulled his half-smoked cigarette out of his mouth long enough to speak. "What is it this time, Naruto?" he asked. "The price of ramen drop again?"

Putting on a wounded look, Naruto turned to the occupant of the other desk, Asuma's wife Kurenai, and widened his blue eyes at her. "Help me!" he wheedled, knowing she had a soft spot for him. "_You_ want to know what it is, don't you, Kurenai?"

Kurenai laughed and turned away from her computer. Resting her elbows on her desk, she leaned slightly forward, her cinnamon colored eyes sparkling. "I'm all ears."

Crossing the somewhat cramped room in a few long strides, Naruto smartly slapped his open notebook onto Kurenai's desk. "Read it _and_ believe it! Uchiha Itachi is getting _married_!" he announced triumphantly.

"No way!" Surging to his feet, Asuma lunged around the end of his desk, cracking his knee against the corner in the process. Cursing as he rubbed his knee with one hand, he grabbed the notebook with the other before his wife could pick it up. He scanned the scribbled dark lines on the greenish tan paper, his eyes widening with every word. "_No way_! Are you seriously telling me-!"

Gleefully Naruto watched Kurenai shoot out of her seat and take a couple of rapid steps to his side. Grabbing her husband's shoulder with one hand, she leaned around him so she could read the notebook as well. "Is this confirmed?" she asked, looking up at Naruto as soon as she'd finished.

Grinning smugly, Naruto tucked his hands behind his head. "Sure is, absolutely one hundred per cent! I heard it straight from Uchiha Sasuke, who heard his brother talking to their parents about it last night."

Asuma arched an eyebrow as he handed Naruto's notebook back. "I thought you and Sasuke weren't on 'speaking terms'," he said sardonically.

Naruto easily waved off his boss's obvious misconception. "That was in the past," he said, "back when we were still just kids in school."

"We just graduated from school this past spring, you knucklehead." The grumble came from the chair across the desk from Asuma's, where the village's resident genius Nara Shikamaru slumped sleepily against his supporting arm and stared at the _shougi_ board. Even though he didn't work for the paper, he could often be found in the office, hiding from his duties at his clan's estate while he played _shougi_ with the editor-in-chief. "It's barely been a month and a half."

"That's still the past!" Naruto shouted at Shikamaru, shaking his fist at his lazy friend.

"Naruto, you're such a drag," the boy muttered, advancing one of his _shougi_ pieces.

Asuma limped back to his chair and eased himself down into it. He muttered another curse when he scanned the board and saw the move his opponent had made. He scratched the back of his head in consternation. "You could at least _pretend_ it's hard to beat me," he complained. Sighing, he looked up at his junior reporter again. "It's not that I don't believe you, Naruto. But a story involving a family as prominent and powerful as the Uchiha - it's a whole different game than you're used to: A lot more serious, with a lot more pressure." He absently patted his pockets, feeling for his pack of cigarettes and lighter.

Naruto sobered and met Asuma's eyes squarely. "I know, Boss. Believe me, I know. You did a good job teaching me."

Kurenai broke the intensity of the moment by propping a hip on her husband's desk and leaning over conspiratorally. "Who's the bride?" she whispered.

Naruto's grin returned. "Oh, hey, you mean I didn't put that in there?" Smirking, he took his notebook back and ostentatiously flipped to the next page. "Her name's Sabaku Temari. According to Sasuke she's the older sister of the head of Suna's leading clan."

Asuma choked. Sputtering breathlessly, he spit out his freshly-lit cigarette and (with no small difficulty) exhaled a weak puff of smoke. "_Are you serious?_" Snatching the notepad again, he nearly tore the pages in his haste to check them over. "You _are_ serious."

Shikamaru sighed gustily and pushed himself to his feet. "Oh, man. I can see your mind won't be on _shougi_ again anytime soon. I'll see you later, Asuma, Kurenai. Good luck with your story, Naruto, Konohamaru." With a lazy wave over his shoulder, he slouched out the doors Naruto had burst through only a few minutes before.

Asuma said thoughtfully, "I don't remember Lady Temari ever visiting Konoha. I didn't even think they'd _met_ each other."

"Even if you forgot something that newsworthy, my love, _I _wouldn't. She hasn't, and they haven't." Standing, Kurenai went back to her desk and sat down.

Naruto shrugged. "Sasuke said it's an arranged marriage." He began to rock back and forth on his heels. "Poor guys. Can you imagine someone forcing you to marry someone you haven't ever met, and might possibly never even like, just on account of _politics_?"

He saw Kurenai's bright cinnamon eyes flicker towards Asuma, who chuckled as he flipped Naruto's notebook shut before handing it back. "At this point, I don't think that's an angle you want to use for this story," he said dryly.

Feeling like he could do cartwheels around the office, Naruto contented himself with an exuberant fist pump as he crowed, "All right! So you're gonna let me go with the story, huh, Boss?"

"If you handle it right, then yeah, we'll publish the article." As he spoke, the editor slanted a look back at his wife and added in a voice so low, Naruto wasn't sure he was meant to hear it, "We're just putting out a few feelers. But if there _is_ some sort of a shakeup in the wind, well then, people should know." He raised his voice again. "So, Naruto: Go for it." Returning his glum stare to the _shougi_ board, Asuma lit another cigarette. The _click_ of his lighter closing put a period on the conversation.

* * *

><p>During the family mealtimes - primarily breakfast and dinner - the personal bodyguards of the Hyuuga clan were allowed to have some time to themselves. Tenten readily agreed with Kakashi's suggestion that they eat their meals in a secluded corner of the kitchen, rather in the servants' dining area. There, they would have felt constrained to censor their words carefully. In the kitchen, located conveniently close to the dining room, the constant activity of the cooks and their helpers provided an extra layer of privacy to their conversation.<p>

Even though they ate slowly, enjoying their off-duty time together, they still finished breakfasting before the family. As she and Kakashi knelt in the hall outside the dining room, quietly waiting, Tenten looked around to familiarize herself with the area better. White walls, floors of pale highly polished wood with not even a single carpet to break up the monotony, white ceiling... Stifling a yawn, she ironically thought she detected a pattern in what seemed to be the preferred Hyuuga decor.

One of the household servants approached. As he exchanged a small, polite bow with them Tenten saw he carried the day's issue of the "Konoha Daily" on a lacquered tray. He let himself into the dining room, and out again only a moment later with the tray now empty, having presumably delivered the morning paper to the head of the clan. He bowed again; so did Tenten and Kakashi. With a tiny sigh of resignation, she settled back into quiescence.

The shouji door violently whisking open startled her. Lord Hyuuga swept out, an expression of cold fury on his face, and stalked toward the main entrance without a word or even a sideways glance. Tenten exchanged a startled look with Kakashi as her brother rose swiftly to his feet and followed him. An instant later Hinata darted out, something clutched close to her chest as she hurried away in the direction of her quarters. Tenten leapt to her feet and took off after her, sticking close until they reached the safety of the Hyuuga heiress's suite.

As she performed a quick security sweep, Tenten watched Hinata out of the corner of her eye. The raven-haired girl visibly jittered until she announced, "All clear," then practically ran across the entertaining area into her sitting room. Sinking to her knees by the low table in the middle of her sitting room, she unfolded what looked like a newspaper. Curious, she knelt next to Hinata and tentatively laid a hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right, milady?"

Hinata hummed noncommitally. "F-Father got angry after r-reading this article," she murmured. "He threw it d-down on the fl-floor b-before he left, s-so I t-took it." Suddenly her face turned bright red, and she let out a soft "eep!" before dropping the paper. "I-It w-was written b-b-by _him_!" she whispered in a reverent tone as she brushed her fingertips lightly across a certain part of the page.

"Hmm? Who?" Tenten leaned in closer so she could read the indicated article. In bold letters, the headline proclaimed:

**Uchiha Itachi Soon To Wed**

_by Uzumaki Naruto_

A shaky finger entered Tenten's line of vision, pointing to the small picture beneath the author's name. "I-Isn't he the m-most handsome p-person you've ever s-seen in your l-life?" she whispered.

Tenten arched an eyebrow. The photo was black and white and rather grainy, so she couldn't really tell that much from it. He didn't _seem_ that handsome to her, but maybe Hinata referred to his personality, more than his looks? "Quite personable," she replied diplomatically.

Sighing dreamily, Hinata drew the paper back to her. She stared at the picture for a little while longer, then skimmed the article. Another gasp escaped her, quickly muffled by the hand she clapped over her mouth. Her wide eyes, brimming with shock, lifted to meet Tenten's. "N-No wonder F-Father became s-so angry," she whispered. "I-If this is t-true..."

Having barely even glanced at the article, Tenten found herself at a loss. She remembered her brother mentioning something about the Uchiha clan - their being the police force in the village, maybe? - but nothing past that. "What's wrong?"

Hinata smoothed her shaking hand across the paper. "I-I don't know how m-much you know about our v-village's past," she started, tone apologetic.

"I know the Hyuuga fought the Uchiha to become the leading clan in the village, and that the latter were made the police force after the Hyuuga won," Tenten supplied.

"G-Good. W-Well, according to this article, Uchiha I-Itachi - the older son of Fugaku, the head of the clan - has b-become engaged to Sabaku T-Temari, the elder s-sister of Gaara, the head of the Sabaku, S-Suna's leading c-clan."

Tenten knew that particular name. After all she and Kakashi had come to Konoha from Suna, and had heard a lot about the leading clan while there. She also knew that Konoha and Suna shared friendly relations and strong economic bonds, residents of each able to travel freely back and forth. Yet Hinata's father had obviously been enraged- "So this is a good thing, for the villages to be strengthening their ties with each other, right?" she asked cautiously. "I mean, what stronger bond can there be than love?"

Hinata slowly shook her head. "I-Itachi and T-Temari have never even m-met each other. This c-can mean only one thing: an arranged m-marriage."

Tenten felt a little ripple of shock, followed by dismay at her own naivete. "I didn't even realize there were still arranged marriages in existence," she admitted, feeling suddenly unaccountably sad for two people she'd never met. "I guess I thought they only existed in historical novels and Kakashi's history lessons, not the modern world."

Hinata dipped her head in a nod. "It is l-less and less c-common, b-but in some n-noble families, it is still p-practiced. N-Now I-I understand why F-Father was so upset. If I-Itachi and T-Temari marry, it will c-create a p-political alliance that m-might cause t-trouble for the Hyuuga in the f-future."

"I see," Tenten said, her mind slipping into its practical, professional mode. "This could be perceived as a statement the Sabaku are shifting their support to the Uchiha over the Hyuuga."

"E-Exactly." Hinata bit her lower lip while staring sightlessly down at her hands. "I-I wonder what F-Father will do. R-Right now, he's so furious, I don't think h-he's thinking clearly. All he s-sees is a threat, and F-Father d-does not react w-well t-to threats. I only hope he d-doesn't d-do something r-rash."

Leaning over, Tenten glanced at the article again. "It does make the point that this isn't anything definite, but only a 'rumored' marriage between the two," she said reassuringly. "Maybe it's just exactly that, a rumor by an unnamed source that will quickly be discredited by the clans involved. Even if someone is deliberately trying to stir up political trouble in Konoha, the same will hold true. I don't think there's anything to be worried about, Lady Hinata, at least for now."

Drawing in a breath, Hinata seemed to force a smile onto her lips. "P-Perhaps you're right," she conceded. "I really h-hope you are. B-But may I-I ask something of you, T-Tenten?"

Wondering what was coming next, Tenten silently nodded.

Hinata's stiff smile morphed into a shy one. "At least while we're in p-private, w-will you p-please call me H-Hinata? I do not have many f-friends, and I-I should very much like for you t-to be one to m-me, if you w-would."

Touched by the other girl's sensitivity and the obvious longing in her eyes, Tenten smiled reassuringly and nodded once. "Of course ... Hinata. I would very much like to be your friend."

The heiress leaned forward and threw her arms around Tenten in an exuberant hug. "Thank you, oh, thank you, T-Tenten!" she cried. "I-I was s-so afraid that you wouldn't think it would b-be appropriate."

Tenten tilted her head to the side and said, quite honestly, "To tell you the truth, Hinata, I don't see why anyone _wouldn't_ want to be friends with someone as sweet as you."

As Hinata blushed and smiled again, Tenten took a moment to hope that her brother was getting along as well with his employer as she was with hers. The little she'd heard about Hyuuga Hiashi from his daughter, however, made her doubt it. _Poor Kakashi._

Life in the Hyuuga estate, she mused, was not boring, at least. In fact, she had a sneaking suspicion that it was about to get much, _much_ more interesting.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ I have discovered a love for writing Naruto. He's just so much _fun!_ Thanks for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it, and I'll see you all for the next chapter!


	4. Repercussions

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _DarkAnonymous324_, _SnowStar145_, and _Chibi-Kyuubi-Chan_ for your wonderful reviews, and also to all those who have put this story on their alert and favorite lists!

**Author's Note:** I know this story is a bit confusing, but I promise that everything _will_ all make sense eventually. Thank you all, so much, to everyone who's been sticking with me so far. I appreciate every single one of you so, so very much! Also, I just wanted to give you all a head's up about next week's update: I'm having all four of my wisdom teeth removed Thursday. I'm still planning to update (or, if I'm in too much pain and/or drugged up to my eyeballs on pain meds, I'll try to sweet-talk my beta into doing it), but just in case I don't, I'll try to get the update out on the soonest day that I feel better. In the meantime, thank you all so much for your support, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter IV~*<strong>

_~Repercussions~_

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><p>After a night spent mostly staring into the darkness it took nearly all the willpower Itachi possessed to force himself to leave his room in time to breakfast with his family. The early morning sunlight pouring into the courtyard, something he normally enjoyed, made him wince. He paused to rub his scratchy eyes with the heels of his hands before continuing on his way. Since he lacked any appreciable appetite, only a desire not to distress his mother motivated him to resume walking.<p>

He refused to think of how he would react if his father were there.

Fortunately, Mikoto and Sasuke were the only people at the table when he slid open the dining room door. His mother glanced up as he entered and quickly gave him a searching look before saying, "Good morning, son," adding as he started to close the shouji behind him, "Oh, please leave the door open, it's such a lovely day."

"Good morning, Mother," Itachi replied as he knelt in his place at the table. When Sasuke didn't look up from his bowl or speak, he reached across and poked the top of the boy's head with his index and middle fingers. "Good morning to you, too, little brother."

With a brief upward flash of his black eyes, Sasuke wagged his chopsticks in a casual wave. "Hey, big brother. Nice of you to finally join us."

Itachi accepted the cup of tea his mother poured for him, but shook his head slightly when she reached for his rice bowl. He took one tiny sip, waited for it to settle in his queasy stomach, then took another. The steam rising from the cup brushed his nostrils with a sweet, grassy fragrance. A third sip, and he felt the throbbing tightness across his forehead begin to ease. Maybe in a little bit, he'd even assay some steamed rice after all-

SLAM!

Itachi nearly dropped his cup when the shouji on the inner wall of the room crashed open. As his head jerked around in response, he saw from the corner of his eye Sasuke's chopsticks fall clattering to the table and heard his mother gasp, "Fugaku!" His father stormed into the room and over to the table, where he threw a newspaper down in front of them, right on top of the remains of broiled fish Itachi had been studiously ignoring.

"Read it!" he snarled, then stood towering over them, his breathing a harsh, audible rasp.

Itachi leaned over the paper. It took a few seconds for his eyes to focus on the sideways characters, but then he read a bold headline: **Uchiha Itachi Soon To Wed** - and felt his own breathing stop. To his right, his mother made a faint sound of distress. Across from him, his younger brother straightened, shrugged and picked up his chopsticks again.

"So, big brother, is this what that piece of paper you wouldn't let me see yesterday was about?" Sasuke asked, his voice just a little too casual. "Oh, yeah, so congratulations, felicitations, and all that."

A dreadful suspicion blossomed inside Itachi. It turned to numb certainty as he noticed how the chopsticks in his brother's fingers now trembled ever so slightly, even though his hand rested on the tabletop next to his half-eaten breakfast. _No, Sasuke! Not you!_ he wanted to say, except the words didn't seem able to make their way out of his dry throat.

He wondered later, much, much later, if perhaps he did make some sort of sound; because suddenly Sasuke's head lifted and his dark eyes, burning with anger and some other less identifiable emotion, locked onto Itachi's. Dimly, on some other level, he heard a sharp snapping noise just as his brother said, "I told you yesterday, Itachi: I'm meant to be your main advisor, your right hand man, but you won't admit it! You won't even admit that I _am_ a man now, and not still just your kid brother!" In one fluid motion, Sasuke stood and threw the broken pieces of his chopsticks down on top of the disastrous newspaper. "Well, then, let the _village_ advise you on your upcoming wedding!" He swiftly stalked out into the courtyard and immediately turned in the direction of the estate's main gate.

"Sasuke!"

Somehow, Itachi found himself standing as well, one hand stretched out as if to catch his brother back. And as Fugaku abruptly jerked out of his rigid stance to follow, "No, Father, please, let _me _go after him!"

His father fixed him with a burning glare. "Will _both_ my sons defy me on the same day? Stay here and look after your mother!" And with that, he was gone as well.

Suddenly aware of how tightly his mother was clutching his other arm, Itachi turned to look at her. Tears streamed down Mikoto's ashen cheeks, dripping off the end of her chin to darken the front of her yukata with spreading patches of damp. She looked up at him with eyes so like his own; so like Sasuke's. Wishing he could also give way to the tears burning behind his eyes, he put his arms around her and drew her into a hug.

"_Why_, Itachi? Why?" she sobbed into his chest. "Why would Sasuke _do_ such a terrible thing? _You've_ always been the one he's looked up to and idolized, rather than your father, _always_-" She began to weep even harder.

Itachi, feeling shredded inside with anger, and betrayal, and guilt over the truth in his brother's accusation, could not find any words to answer her.

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><p>Just when Tenten decided she would be eating a solitary dinner, Kakashi came into the kitchen, crossed to their table in the corner, and sank tiredly into his place facing her and the wall behind her. As he tugged his mask down to his chin, she quickly poured a cup of tea and handed it to him.<p>

"Thanks, Panda," he murmured, closing his eye with a sigh as he lifted the cup to his lips.

Tenten began to fill their bowls. "Poor big brother," she said. "You look like the wrong end of a long, hard day." He opened his eye again. Looking directly into it, she blinked twice while tipping her head ever so slightly to her right: Their code for _It's okay to talk right now._

"I feel like the wrong end of a long, hard day. And it's probably going to get a lot worse before it gets any better." He set down his cup, which she immediately refilled. Picking up his chopsticks, he lifted his bowl of _udon_ soup to further camouflage his mouth. "How much do you know about what's happened?"

Allowing her chopsticks to dangle casually from her fingertips, Tenten pretended to study her food, as though trying to decide what to select. "Lady Hinata grabbed the morning newspaper after her father left it in the dining room," she said. "After we'd read it, she explained why her father, um, reacted the way he did."

"How did _she_ react to the news?"

Tenten took a bite of cooked white turnip with miso dressing before replying; hesitating not because she felt she would be betraying her charge's confidence, but to make sure she gave an accurate report. "Initially sad for the ones being forced into this marriage; she has such a gentle heart. Extremely concerned about what her father might do in response, since - her words exactly - he 'does not react well to threats.' Also," she toyed with an emerald broccoli floret, "as the day went on, she became more and more pensive. She spent most of the afternoon gazing out into the garden and playing sad songs on her _samisen_."

Kakashi nodded slowly. "So if she doesn't know for sure what's coming, she more than likely suspects it. Others will, too. Keep a very close eye on Lady Hinata, Panda Bear. I know you're already doing that, but ... just be extra careful while this whole scenario is playing out_._"

What was left of her appetite fled. "I will," she promised, and then sighed heavily. "I know it's what puts the food in our mouths most of the time, but - I hate political upheavals, and power struggles, and all that." Biting her lower lip, she looked up to gauge her brother's reaction.

Even though Tenten expected it, seeing his crooked smile filled her with relief. "Me, too, little sister. Especially when someone as sweet and kind as Lady Hinata looks to be caught in the very center of the fallout. C'mere, kid." When she obediently leaned forward in response to his gesture, Kakashi dropped a light kiss on the top of her head. Then, pulling his mask up to conceal the lower half of his face again, he stood. "Security's going to tighten up way past what it already is. I don't know how often we'll get to eat together until after all this finishes shaking out. Just remember everything I've taught you, Tenten, and _be careful_." Reaching down, he flicked both of her hair buns with his right index finger, and left.

Tenten got to her feet as well. Either Kakashi knew more than he'd told her or maybe, like Hinata, he only suspected. But _what_? She wanted to run after him, to catch hold of him and shake it out of him, but squelched the impulse as being totally childish. However vague his warning, apparently that was the best he could do. Perhaps, the thought suddenly struck her, he felt she should be capable of reasoning it out on her own: that, or more likely, that it was Hinata's place to tell her.

As she made her way to the hall outside the dining room to wait for her charge, Tenten felt the resolve she'd formed earlier that day grow firmer. In addition to guarding the Hyuuga heiress's life, she would also do her very best to brighten Hinata's existence as best she could from day to day. And, maybe someday, they'd both escape these walls that felt like they were closing in by the hour...

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><p>Itachi's first impression of his bride-to-be was: <em>Alpha female<em>.

Carrying herself with her shoulders well back and her chin elevated just enough to make a statement, Sabaku Temari possessed none of his mother's beauty or gentle grace, though he found her bright turquiose eyes quite striking - her best feature by far. Her light tan skin, both smooth and unblemished, complemented her hair, golden brown as the sand in the village from which she came. She wore it pulled back in four short, spiky ponytails at the back of her head, a style which emphasized the strength of her features. Dressed in dark, dull colors, she looked quite out of place in colorful Konoha, but Itachi made an effort to convince himself that that made her intriguing rather than intimidating.

If Mikoto held any reservations now she'd actually met her future daughter-in-law, Itachi couldn't tell; but then, he hadn't really expected to since his mother was the consummate lady. Fugaku seemed indifferent, satisfied that he'd completed his duty by greeting her on her arrival, then leaving her with his family. Sasuke, by the very perfection of his manners, made it clear he didn't like Temari, and to Itachi's secret amusement, Temari didn't really seem disposed to like Sasuke, either, so it all appeared to come out even in the end.

Gaara, Temari's younger brother, had arranged for her to stay in Konoha a week. With her had come Baki, the head of Suna's war council (potentially worrisome, had he not seemed so approving of the impending marriage), and Matsuri, a mousy little woman who was a bit ambiguous about her duties. Officially she exercised the offices of bodyguard and handmaiden, but Baki confidentially admitted to Itachi that Temari was more than capable of taking care of herself - in fact, she preferred it. Matsuri was just along for show.

_And how__,_ Itachi wondered right after being gifted with that knowledge, _am I supposed to react to that little revelation?_

With a whole week of nothing but wooing ahead of him, Itachi already felt weary to the point of exhaustion - especially since most of the day before had been spent in damage control of one sort or another, public and private. Now, meeting her, he thought Temari could be rather refreshing to be around, since she plainly spoke her mind without caring whether she offended anyone or not. But he also wondered how, if not to win over such a strong-willed woman, at least to earn her respect and liking, since he preferred to think _some_ bit of affection would exist between them when they married, even if love had to come later. And he made earnest prayers daily to all his ancestors at once that love _would_ come to them. To be trapped in a loveless marriage for the rest of their lives would be a nightmare for Temari and him both.

Knowing that, thanks to the article in the _Konoha Daily_, most of the people in the village seethed with curiosity about his bride-to-be, Itachi hoped Temari would want to take a day or two (or three or four) to recover from her journey. That hope faded about five seconds after meeting the lady. Disclaiming tiredness and claiming a profound wish to see the village, she requested Itachi take her on a tour. "Not the touristy places," she added firmly. "I want to see the normal, everyday village Konoha natives see."

"Of course, Lady Temari, it will be my pleasure and honor," he responded courteously, then added with equal parts honesty and mischief, "though I hope it won't discompose you to find yourself the center of everyone's attention."

She shot him an unreadable look with those opaque turquoise eyes. "Because of my rare natural charm and beauty?"

Surprising her as much as he surprised himself, he grinned and said, "Because I've never escorted anyone around the village the way I'll be escorting you, and the people of my village are nothing if not, ah, very quick on the uptake. I just wanted you to be warned."

"Oh." She blinked a couple of times, seeming to Itachi to be utterly disconcerted that _she_ had failed to disconcert _him._ "Well, uh, thanks."

Within a very short time of entering the village proper, Itachi could tell that Temari, even though not naturally emotive, was absolutely captivated by the joyous confluence of colors, scents, sounds, and overall open friendliness that defined Konoha, all apparently lacking in Suna. Somehow he sensed how unnerved she initially was by the polite yet informal reception accorded them everywhere they went; sensed as well the moment she began to relax and enjoy herself. By the time they left the Yamanaka flower shop, where he presented her with a rose, its petals snow white on top and glowing crimson on the bottom, centered in dozens of violets, he'd actually begun to enjoy himself, too.

"Do you like ramen?" he asked as they merged into the throng of shoppers again. "Because if you do, I can say without the least bit of bias that Konoha is home to Ichiraku Ramen, the absolute, uncontested best ramen in the entire world. It's liable to be crowded, being more of a stall than an actual restaurant, but-"

Temari waved his warning aside. "Let's go, I'm starving."

However, approximately five seconds after Itachi and Temari sat and gave their orders, Itachi felt like committing murder as he passionately wished he'd never had the thought. Uzumaki Naruto burst through the short curtains only halfway screening the stall's interior from the street, exclaiming about what a coincidence it was to see the "happy couple" at his favorite eatery. He plonked down on the stool on the other side of Temari as he shouted out his own order (extra-large miso pork ramen, extra pork), then immediately pulled out his notebook and pen as he turned toward them. "How about an interview?" he said cheerfully. "How d'you think you'll like living in Konoha, Lady Temari?"

Had their bowls of ramen _not_ been delivered at that moment, Itachi reflected later that he might have ended up being arrested by members of his own clan, considering the part the loud reporter had played in the previous day's disaster. "Uzumaki-" he growled, half-rising from his seat.

Temari calmly set down her chopsticks and offered Itachi a smile that seemed more mischievious than sweet. "Allow me," she said. As her blonde head swiveled back around, her eyes hardened, facial features seemingly undergoing a frightening transformation that made Itachi hope he _never_ got on her bad side. "Get lost, kid," she snarled.

Naruto blinked. His mouth started to open and Itachi _knew_ deep in his gut Sasuke's name was about to be invoked, just as he knew he couldn't stand for Temari to know what his brother had done. Standing, he stared down the younger man. "_Not now,_ Naruto! I don't care if you went to school with my brother, I'm _informally_ showing Lady Temari around Konoha, and we're not giving interviews on her first day in the village. I suggest you leave - now!"

The young reporter pouted. "But I-"

From somewhere within the folds of her dark purple dress, Temari withdrew a folded fan and promptly smacked Naruto over the head with it. "You're an annoying, persistent brat, you know that?" she said candidly.

"I'm _dedicated_," Naruo corrected, rubbing the knot forming atop his head, but prudently backing away. "Now please, _please_, if I don't get the rest of the story, I'm likely to lose my job!"

Itachi highly doubted this, since Sarutobi Asuma and Kurenai were notoriously kind people, as likely to give someone a second (or tenth) chance before they turned them out onto the street. Not to mention the fact they were also good friends of the kid's grandparents. "I've already set it up with Asuma for Wednesday," he said firmly. "Now get your ramen to go," he sent a significant glance at the stall's owner, who quickly nodded, "and go." Sitting down again, he broke his chopsticks apart and took a bite, hoping that would close the matter.

"Wednesday?" Naruto repeated hopefully.

"Yes," Itachi replied without looking around.

Before leaving, Naruto paid for Itachi and Temari's meal, as well as his own. Chuckling under his breath, Itachi watch Temari stare after him for a moment before turning her intense gaze onto him. "You let that little twerp just pay for our meals _why?_"

"It was as close as he'd come to admitting he was out of line," Itachi answered, picking up her chopsticks and offering them to her. "Besides, if I know Naruto, he didn't actually pay for our ramen; he probably put it on the paper's expense account. Right, Teuchi?" The owner grinned and nodded. "Now, then, better eat up before the world's best ramen gets any colder."

When they finally left Ichiraku Ramen, Temari withdrew her fan again, this time using it to cool herself. "How do you stand this humidity?" she asked. The three purple moons painted on the white silk flashed as she moved it slowly back and forth in front of her face.

"I've lived here my entire life," Itachi replied. "I'm sure I'll say the same thing about Suna's dryness, when I come to visit you."

Looking at him from beneath her sandy eyelashes, Temari smiled bewitchingly. "_Are_ you going to come visit me?" she asked.

"I am not in the habit of invading a place to which I am not invited." He fought the twitch of his lips as he waited for her response to the hint of haughtiness he'd injected into his tone.

Almost instantly, Temari's laugh rewarded him. "I'm sure Gaara will not forbid you traveling to Suna," she assured him. Then her smile faded, and she glanced away. "He is, after all, a strong supporter of this union." Bitterness crept into her tone, making her voice sound hard, harsher than usual.

In quick sympathy, hoping he wasn't being unwelcomely forward, Itachi reached out to squeeze, quickly but gently, her hand still carrying his bouquet. "I know neither of us really got a say in this," he said softly. "And that neither of us really have a choice about our future together. But I _am_ hoping with all my being to make you happy, even if you never love me." He swallowed hard, wondering what exactly he had cost himself with those words.

For the first time, Itachi witnessed Temari's stony turquoise eyes soften. She gazed up at him thoughtfully, lips pursed as she studied his eyes for truthfulness. After a few intense moments she looked away, resuming her casual fanning of herself. Each puff of air teased his nose with the scent of jasmine, making him feel slightly dizzy. "Thank you, Itachi," she said softly. "You are a - very kind person."

Noticing that she did not repeat his sentiments, he wondered for the first time what kind of competition he had for Temari's affections. Itachi owned no prior romantic attachments, but it now occurred to him to think that perhaps his intended might have formed such a connection.

How in the world was he supposed to win her heart, most especially if she'd already given it to someone else? And how was he supposed to give his to her if such a situation did indeed exist? More and more, this arrangement manifested all the earmarks of a catastrophe in the making.

_Look at the mess you've gotten us into, Father. How in the world am I supposed to make this work?_

***~To Be Continued~***

**Important **_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ Just in case you missed the A/N above, I just wanted to give you all a head's up about next week's update: I'm having all four of my wisdom teeth removed Thursday. I'm still planning to update (or, if I'm in too much pain and/or drugged up to my eyeballs on pain meds, I'll try to sweet-talk my beta into doing it), but just in case I can't update it then, I'll try to get the update out on the soonest day after that when I feel better. Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope to see you all again next Sunday!


	5. Confidences

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _DarkAnonymous324_ and _Celtic-Memories_ for your reviews, and to everyone who's put this on their favorite and alert lists!

**Author's Note:** I am having a rare lucid moment right now, so I decided that I'd better go ahead and update _Labyrinth_ before I take my next dose of pain meds and pass out again. Hopefully I should be much better next week, but for today, you get the update a few hours early! Thanks again for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter V~*<strong>

_~Confidences~_

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><p>Tenten woke the morning of Lady Temari's arrival in Konoha wondering if Hinata's mood would still be melancholy, since options for distracting and amusing her mistress were limited, to say the least. And even though Hinata was a gifted samisen player, Tenten wasn't all that much of a fan of the instrument.<p>

_I'd like to explore the gardens beyond this little bit I've seen outside the suite,_ Tenten thought, _but that would probably bore Hinata. _A sudden thought struck her, making her quickly cover her mouth with one hand to stifle a giggle. _Maybe I could start teaching her how to throw shuriken - or knives! Though perhaps that's not a bad idea after all. . ._

When Hinata wakened, though, she seemed to have recovered most of her serenity, even going so far as to remark over breakfast, "Well, one good thing about this whole arranged Uchiha marriage situation: I doubt Father will have the time or attention to do anything more about disciplining me for slipping into the village. So it'll be safe for Ino to come after her family's flower shop closes for the sleepover we have planned."

Tenten cocked her head to one side. "Ino - she's the one who brought the clothes you used, right?"

"Yes. She's my only other friend in the world. And I can't wait to see the look on her face when she finds out what I did in them! I planned on strolling into the shop - oh! so very casually!" she struck a pose, making Tenten laugh "- but I never made it there." Hinata looked sad for a moment, but then her expression lightened again and her strangely pale eyes sparkled. "And I'm so excited for you to meet each other."

Later that afternoon, during Tenten and Hinata's first shuriken-throwing lesson, a purple- clad whirlwind with a long blonde ponytail burst through the open shouji leading from the private sitting room into the garden where they'd set up an improvised target - a rolled up tatami half-mat. Tenten instinctively started to spring in front of Hinata, but just as quickly relaxed her defensive stance as Hinata ran to embrace the new arrival, at the same time exclaiming in distress, "Ino! I'm sorry I'm n-not ready yet, b-but-"

Laughing, Ino waved off her friend's apologies. "Hinata, it's _fine!_ You're not late, I'm early!" Spinning smartly, she grinned at Tenten and held her arms out once more. "I'm Yamanaka Ino, my family owns the Yamanaka flower shop in the village! You must be Tenten! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Even as Tenten noted how every sentence out of the blonde's mouth seemed to end with an audible exclamation point, she found herself pulled into a surprisingly strong and exuberant embrace. "It's nice to meet you as well," she replied through a mouthful of the other girl's sunshine yellow hair, at the same time thinking, _Wow! Could any two friends be more completely opposite from each other?_

To Tenten's utter discomfiture Ino next reached out an arm to pull Hinata into a three-way hug, all the while bouncing lightly. "Isn't it marvelous how Lord Hyuuga hired your brother as his bodyguard, and thought to hire _you_ to guard Hina and be a companion for her at the same time? Could anything be more _perfect?_ So!" The blonde dynamo let go of them and instantly zeroed in on the area around the rolled mat propped against a tree. "What were you doing when I got here? Can I try, too?"

Just as Tenten privately wondered if giving Ino something sharp and pointy was the best idea in the world, Hinata cleared her throat and said, "Actually, I-Ino, it's the other w-way around." She glanced nervously over her shoulder at the open shouji. "Let's c-close those f-for now and roll out the m-mat to sit on. Then I'll t-tell you w-what really h-happened."

Tenten rapidly recovered all the shuriken, safely stowing them in her belt pouches before helping the other two girls roll out the tatami in the shade of the red-leafed maple tree. As Hinata all but whispered to her friend the story of her adventure, Tenten sat quietly watching the rapidly changing expressions on Ino's face: amazement and delight at Hinata's audacity in slipping out into the village on her own, followed by shock and horror at her near-mugging, which gave way to teary-eyed relief at the happy outcome. This time when Ino lunged and grabbed both of them in strangling hugs, she was halfway ready for it.

"Oh, Hina, when I _think_ of what might have happened to you-! And Tenten, you were absolutely _amazing_, thank you so_ much_ for saving my friend!"

Feeling her cheeks grow warm, Tenten ducked her head. Honestly, what could she say to something like that? The arrival of servants to set out dinner in the sitting room rescued her by redirecting the other two's attention. Since she'd been in Konoha less than a week, she mostly listened to Hinata and Ino talk during the meal: innocuous conversation while the serving maids came and went - about the latest fashions, shop openings and closings, music, art, the latest nightspots. She very quickly realized Ino wasn't just chattering about life in Konoha for Hinata's benefit, but intended for _her_ to get a feel for the village's heartbeat as well. Before long, she discovered she felt more comfortable around Ino than she would have thought possible on first meeting her.

Eventually, with the meal over and cleared away and the bedroom readied, the three changed into their nightclothes and settled on Hinata's big bed. While Hinata tucked up against the headboard, knees pulled up to her chest, Ino curled up at the foot of the bed, her long blonde hair trailing over the edge as she supported her head on one hand. Tenten settled cross-legged between the two.

"So, Hina! Did you get to read Naruto's article in the paper yesterday about the Big Engagement?" Ino asked. From the look of mischief sparkling in her bright blue eyes, Tenten deduced she knew all about Hinata's infatuation with the young reporter.

Sure enough, the heiress's cheeks turned a deep shade of rose pink, even as her expression took on a hint of her previous melancholy. "Y-Yes. I-It's s-so s-sad. I h-hope things w-will w-work out f-for them."

Ino swept her bangs out of her face. "Well, they were in the shop today while touring the village, and seemed to be doing okay for a couple of people who'd just met each other. Itachi had me make up the sweetest little bouquet for her - one of our special hybrid red and white roses surrounded by dozens and dozens of violets."

"Didn't she just arrive today, though?" Tenten asked. "At least, I thought that's what the article said."

Hinata's cooling cheeks colored again. Ino nodded. "Three days minimum by horseback from Suna to Konoha, and Lady Temari has the energy to go on a walking tour of the village right after her arrival. Looks like Itachi has himself a live one!" She made a little fanning motion in front of her face with her hand. "I have to admit, though, I always thought Sasuke would get married first. I mean, Itachi is _okay_ looking, but nothing compared to his little brother!"

"There was a time where you thought _you_ would be that person," Hinata commented with a giggle.

Ino shrugged. "I am _so_ over that! Let's face it, Sasuke is a _total_ hottie, but he's made it plain he's not interested. Besides, Forehead still really likes him."

Tenten tilted her head and asked cautiously, "Who's 'Forehead'?"

Giggles spilled from Ino's lips, sounding like small bells chiming. "She's _another_ of my best friends," she explained. "Her name's not really 'Forehead,' I just call her that because she's got this _huge_ forehead - it's like a billboard or something! Anyway, her _real_ name is Haruno Sakura. She's apprenticed to Lady Tsunade, the best medic in Konoha - probably even the whole _world_! Anyway, Sakura and I went through this phase in school where we kind of fought each other all the time, all over Sasuke. But we finally decided it was just so childish and foolish to let a _guy_ come between us. After all, we've been friends _way_ longer than we were _ever_ interested in Sasuke! And anyway," her cheeks grew slightly pink, "I've ... moved on."

Tenten jumped slightly when Hinata in a single sudden movement let her knees fall sideways, crossed her legs, and leaned forward, her delicate face shining with excitement. "You m-mean he f-finally-?"

"Yes!" Ino reached under the high neck of her purple top and tugged out a necklace. She allowed the charm, a beautiful silver deer caught mid-leap, to dangle from her fingers for a few seconds before she slid it under cover again. "I mean, it's not like we're _engaged_ or anything. But still, I am making progress!" She turned her attention to Tenten and grinned. "But enough about me! What about you, Tenten? You interested in anyone in particular?"

Smiling shyly, Tenten shook her head. "Remember, Kakashi and I have spent a lot of time moving from place to place. I've barely been in Konoha four days, and three of those have been spent here. So, no, never really have had any opportunities." She shrugged.

"Hmmmm." Ino sat up, too, eyeing Tenten speculatively. "You look to be about our age; maybe, like what? a year or two older? I know _several _really cute, nice guys from school who are unattached. You don't care if they're _maybe_ a _tiny _bit younger than you, right?"

Tenten looked speechlessly from Ino to Hinata, who smoothly intervened. "I appreciate s-so much how you've g-given up an evening you m-might have spent with your b-beloved."

Ino's eyes softened. "Hinata, you're one of my _absolute best_ friends! If you need me, I'll _always _be here for you!" Her nose wrinkled a little. "Besides, I didn't say he was my _beloved_," she sniffed. "I just said that we're ... _making progress_ in that direction. _Anyway_ I'm kind of trying to keep this from my dad for now, since he'll commit murder if he finds out we're _kinda_ getting serious about each other." Her blue eyes rolled tellingly.

"Overpro-t-tectiveness is a trait that s-seems to b-be common in f-fathers," Hinata agreed.

"And older brothers," Tenten added. "If he thinks I've so much as _looked_ at a guy twice Kakashi gets this really speculative look, like he's planning which bones to break in what order."

Hinata and Ino laughed appreciatively at that. Leaning forward a little, the blonde propped her elbows on her knees and smiled. "So, what does your brother look like? Is he cute? Handsome? Hot?"

Tenten almost let her jaw drop. She held up her hands defensively. "He's ... my brother! I don't know." Just the thought of considering her brother any of those things made her shudder.

"Well, how old is he?" Ino pressed.

Clearing her throat, Hinata murmured, "You're s-seeing someone, Ino."

"Key word here, Hina: _seeing!_ Shikamaru and I are just going steady, not _engaged_ or anything." Ino grinned broadly and winked. "Doesn't mean I've been struck blind, either. Okay, then, so how old is Kakashi?"

"Thirty-two." Tenten swallowed back her laugh as Ino's face fell. "Kakashi was nineteen when he ... well, he didn't technically _adopt_ me. I guess you could say when he took me in. I've been traveling with him ever since. He taught me, he raised me, he's cared for me and protected me: he's my big brother."

All talk of romance dropped off after that.

* * *

><p><em>"You won't even admit that I am a man now, and not still just your kid brother!"<em>

More than a day and a half later, Sasuke's words still echoed in the back of Itachi's mind. Even while meeting Lady Temari and showing her around Konoha they'd been there, along with the memory of the look in his brother's eyes. Now that his initial shock and anger had dimmed he knew what other emotion he'd seen hiding behind the anger.

It had been profound hurt.

Sighing deeply, Itachi leaned his head back against the folded towel cushioning the edge of the tiled bathing pool in the family bath house; silent and deserted this late at night, but still kept ready for use by members of the immediate family. _In my own way, I've been just as blind and heedless as Father, who has never seen _either_ of his sons as anything other than tools in his hands to make the Uchiha stronger. But I don't have to walk that path. I _refuse_ to walk Father's path! I have to try to make things right with my brother._

Coming to a sudden decision, he stood, turned and, scorning to take the time to use the steps, put both hands on the edge of the pool and hoisted himself from the steaming water. He impatiently toweled his body and hair half-dry, then went into the changing area and grabbed his yukata. Hastily lapping and tying it around him, he exited the bath house, striding swiftly along the roofed verandah and turning the corner that would take him to the wing with his quarters - and Sasuke's.

The light penetrating the paper panes of the shouji, however expected, still relieved Itachi. Stopping in front of it, he scratched lightly on the wooden frame and called softly, "Sasuke, it's me. Please come to the door."

A long moment passed before a silhouetted shape loomed up on the other side. The shouji slid open, but Sasuke didn't speak even to ask why Itachi was at his door after midnight, or make any motion to invite him in. He only stood there with a shuttered look on his face that went straight to Itachi's heart.

Itachi bowed more deeply than was necessary for older brother to younger. "May I come in, Sasuke?" he asked quietly. "I really want to talk with you."

Sasuke hesitated, his dark eyes obviously taking in Itachi's damp condition, then bowed in return before stepping aside. "Yes, please do come in." He gestured toward the living area of the suite, adding awkwardly, "I, uh, was just having some tea. Would you like a cup?"

"Yes, thank you, that would be very welcome." As he followed after Sasuke, Itachi sadly thought, _Just listen to us! We sound like strangers instead of brothers!_ Taking his place at the book and paper strewn table, he accepted the cup Sasuke poured for him and waited while his brother refilled his own.

Looking down into his cup, Sasuke asked, "So, what do you want to talk about at this time of night?"

"I want to apologize to you, Sasuke," at his words the younger man's black eyes, wide and startled as a deer's, snapped up to meet his steady gaze, "and ask your forgiveness - not just for all the times I've brushed you off like Father always does, but for not coming to you sooner to try to make things right between us."

"Wh-" Sasuke's voice broke in the middle of the word. He cleared his throat and tried again. _"What?"_

Itachi took a moment to arrange his thoughts before replying. He had to get this exactly right. "Your words yesterday morning cut straight to my heart and I have not stopped hearing them, hearing the truth within them, since. Even though you're eighteen years old and a man now, I did still see you as my foolish little brother: always meaning well but getting in the way at all the worst times. I should have come to you much, much sooner to tell you I realize I was wrong, so wrong. Going to Naruto and giving him the story of my arranged marriage with Temari wasn't the _right_ thing for you to do, but I understand why you did."

Sasuke seemed abruptly to realize he still held his cup suspended in front of his mouth. He slowly lowered it, setting it down with extreme care, never taking his eyes from his brother's. Itachi went on, "I regret profoundly I did not listen when you told me you _are_ a man now, and my future advisor besides. First and foremost, though, you are my _brother_, who does not deserve to be treated as a boy rather than the man you have become."

Sasuke blinked. "I-" He blinked again. "Big - big brother, I don't know what to say."

"You don't _have_ to say anything," Itachi said reassuringly. "Sasuke, I didn't ever mean to make you feel worthless, or like you were nothing more than an annoyance or bother."

Sasuke looked down. "I'm sorry, too, Itachi. I shouldn't have gone to Naruto with that story, and betrayed you, and - and _her_, and our family." After a long moment of silence, he looked up again. "Does - does _she_ know what I did?"

Itachi bit back a chuckle at how his brother still wouldn't say Temari's name. "Not from me or, I think it's safe to say, from Mother. And since Father gave orders that all copies of that edition within these walls be immediately destroyed-" He lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "We didn't see any stray copies around the village today, either. Believe me," an unintended wry note entered his voice, "I was looking for them."

His brother made a face and Itachi laughed. "She doesn't _like_ me," Sasuke said.

It was Itachi's turn to look down as he wrestled old habits into submission. "I'm not sure Temari likes me either," he finally replied in a low voice. "Or if she ever will. Short of killing myself-" a quickly bitten off exclamation from Sasuke nearly made him laugh again "-there's nothing I can do to stop this marriage from happening. It's going to be difficult enough being married to someone I don't love, who also doesn't love me. I _need_ you, Sasuke. I need my brother to be here for me, even though I - I haven't always been there for him."

Sasuke reached across the table to grip Itachi's forearm tightly. "That's all behind us now," he said firmly. "We're _brothers_: and from this point forward, we're always going to be there to support each other, no matter what. Right, _older_ brother?"

Itachi turned his wrist to return Sasuke's grip as relief and gratefulness flooded through him. "Right you are, _younger_ brother! Right you are."

* * *

><p>"What're you working on, kid?"<p>

Naruto ignored the question and kept scribbling, moving his arm to block his notepad from view. He narrowed his eyes, reviewing the things Asuma and Kurenai had taught him to make sure he wrote a good article. The last thing he wanted was the Uchiha clan coming after his head because he'd forgotten to put in some important word or detail or - worse - put in something that wasn't true. Then he'd have his bosses after him, too!

A hand impacted the back of his head, knocking him out of his zone. "C'mon, I tell you about my work. Tell me about yours!"

Rubbing the developing sore spot on the back of his blond head, Naruto glared up at his grandfather. "I don't want to know about your work," he groused. "What makes mine so interesting? If you wait, you can read it in the paper on Thursday."

Jiraiya reached into the fridge and pulled out a couple of oranges. Tossing one to the boy at the table, he starting peeling his before he'd even closed the door. "I'm proud of you," he said. "Besides, what's the point of being related to a reporter if you don't get to learn about the 'big news' before everyone else?"

"You know, technically, we're not related," Naruto pointed out in a years' old game they played. Jiraiya and his wife, Tsunade, had adopted Naruto's father, Minato, when they'd found out they couldn't have children of their own. Minato and his wife, Kushina, had been killed when Naruto was a baby, leaving them to take over raising the little boy.

"Close enough," Jiraiya replied. Producing a pen from one pocket and a notebook of his own from another, he sat down at the table and started writing. "But back to our earlier topic, what's wrong with my writing? I'm a bestselling author, you know."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "In what village?" he muttered. He wanted to add _Those pervy books of yours are so boring no one wants to read them,_ but he knew better than to say it out loud. The last time he'd done so, his grandfather had pouted for _weeks_. "Now 'scuse me. I gotta finish outlining the questions I need to ask for my article." Keeping himself hunched over his book, he went back to his frantic writing.

"At least tell me what it's about?" Jiraiya wheedled, not even pretending to work on his book any more.

Sighing, Naruto looked up. "You know Uchiha Itachi is getting married, right, Grandpa? He promised me an exclusive interview with him and Lady Temari Sabaku from Suna, and I'm writing a preliminary outline for the article, which I'll finish after I talk to them."

"Talk to whom?" Breezing into the room, Naruto's grandmother ruffled the boy's already messy hair on her way past to the stove.

"Uchiha Itachi," Jiraiya answered for him. "Apparently he's getting married to, to, uh, some gal from Suna."

Tsunade let out a loud sigh, planting her hands on her hips as she spun to face her husband. "Don't you ever read the paper?" she demanded. "That's old news."

"I got an exclusive interview with him and Lady Temari!" Naruto exclaimed proudly. He'd been saving it for a surprise for his grandma, but he couldn't wait any longer. "I'm interviewing them tomorrow," he added smugly.

"Good job!" Tsunade praised. She set the cup she'd just pulled out of the cabinet on the counter, then came over to kiss Naruto on the forehead. "Before you know it, you'll be a full-fledged reporter."

"Granny!" Naruto protested. "I already _am_ a full-fledged reporter! It's _Konohamaru_ that's still in training." Scowling, he scribbled a note on the side of his paper to remind himself to ask his protoge if he'd remembered to develop those pictures he'd (surreptitiously) taken of Itachi and Temari during their time out in the village.

"If you say so." Pouring some liquid of dubious identity into her cup, she sipped at it as she moved toward the door. "I've got to follow up on some patients at the hospital," she said over her shoulder. "I'll be home in time for dinner, though. Be good, boys."

Naruto left Jiraiya to protest to his wife's retreating form as he went back to his article. This was the biggest story he'd ever worked on; more than that, it was the first big, _truly_ important story he'd uncovered all on his own. Usually Asuma or Kurenai assigned him something relatively innocuous, but this time he'd not only discovered the story, he was covering it all by himself. He knew that this was exactly what he'd been waiting for, his big chance to prove to _everyone_ that he wasn't a cub-reporter anymore. He was ready for the big-leagues now, and someday, he might even be good enough to take over the whole newspaper!

Grinning widely, Naruto began writing a little faster. _Believe it!_

***~To Be Continued~* **

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ I updated a few hours early since I'm having a lucid moment from the pain pills I'm on because of surgery, but I'm hoping to get back to the regular Sunday-afternoon update next week. Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	6. Summer Rain

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, ratings, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _DarkAnonymous324_, _Celtic-Memories_, and _rao hyuga 18_ for your lovely reviews, and those who have added this story to their favorite and alert lists!

**Author's Note:** I am _so_ sorry for this semi-late update! But it's still Sunday somewhere...right? But, in this chapter, I promise that - if you look closely - you get to see your first glimpse of Neji! His first official appearance is coming in the next two chapters, though. Until next update, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

><p><strong>*~Chapter VI~*<strong>

_~Summer Rain~_

* * *

><p>Wednesday dawned dark and rainy, matching the heavy gloom in Itachi's heart. Temari's introductory week in Konoha was half over, and she was nearly as much of a stranger to him as when she'd first arrived. He <em>thought<em> that inside her tough, prickly exterior lived an entirely different woman. Or perhaps he only hoped so; he'd not seen any real evidence of it in the time they'd spent together, just ephemeral hints such a person might exist, all of which had come when she'd been talking with Mikoto. But then of course, his mother effortlessly got along with _everyone_: Witness the fact she was still married - to all appearances happily - to his father.

Despite his efforts to present a bland, pleasant front, some of his inner turmoil must have shown; because when Temari excused herself from the breakfast table to "freshen up" before their interview with Naruto, leaving Itachi and Mikoto alone, his mother reached over to rub a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Give her time, my son," she said softly. "She is proud, and as angry as you are about having your future arranged for you in this way." Mikoto stood, then bent to brush a strand of hair from his cheek, her lips curving in a sweet, loving smile. "But she will respond to your kind heart and gentle spirit. How could she not? I hope your interview goes well, dear." With that, she also left the room.

Itachi gazed sightlessly after her for a moment before sighing and getting to his feet. That blasted interview! But Uchiha did not go back on their given word. If the wind-swept sheets of rain weren't enough to keep Uzumaki at home, he would have to go through with it as promised.

When he got to the small, oldfashioned audience room where the interview was to take place, he found Temari already there, standing in front of a window watching the rainfall while gently fanning herself. She glanced around when he entered, then turned to face him. Instead of the casual yukata she'd worn to breakfast, he saw she'd changed into an outfit similar to what she'd worn when first arriving in Konoha: a straight, dark rusty red sheath that came to just above her ankles; and over it a slightly shorter sleeveless ivory robe with a matching scarf wrapped in a deep swath around her neck and across her shoulders.

"So, this reporter kid is a friend of your brother's, right?" she asked as she moved to sink down onto one of two cushions placed side by side on the tatami facing a third.

Itachi chuckled wryly as he crossed the room and knelt next to her. "He was a classmate of Sasuke's at the Academy," he corrected her, "and definitely the class clown. 'That hyperactive, knuckle-headed Naruto' was Sasuke's favorite way of describing him."

"Hmph. An apt description." She folded her fan, as though preparing to smack Naruto over the head with it again. "He probably _won't _have the sense to stay in out of the rain."

Sure enough, only a few minutes later a servant escorted Uzumaki into the room. As the reporter took his place on the cushion across from them and bowed, thanking them for granting him this interview, Itachi blinked rapidly several times. Clad once again in bright orange jacket and pants, with his spiky chromium yellow hair and electric blue eyes, the younger man was an eye-jolting riot of brilliant color. Evidently Temari shared his reaction. Cutting across what sounded like a carefully rehearsed speech, she said, "Is that the _only_ color you own? What are you, color blind?"

The question seemed to take Naruto by surprise, since he sat there for a moment with his vivid blue eyes open wide, his jaw hanging open slightly. Then, shaking himself out of it, he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand and laughed, his eyes squinting nearly shut. "Hey, Lady Temari, I thought _I_ was supposed to be asking the questions!" he exclaimed. Still grinning broadly he went on, "_Heh heh heh!_ I just really like this color. On grey gloomy days like this, it perks me right up! And on sunny days, it energizes me and helps me believe there isn't _anything_ I can't accomplish if I try hard enough! Anything else you want to ask me before we get started?"

_Well said, Naruto!_ Itachi thought, amused and even a little impressed by his response. He flickered a glance down at his own charcoal grey shirt and loose black pants._ _And you might have a point about colors and moods, even if you seem to take it to an extreme.__

Beside him Temari unexpectedly laughed, a more relaxed and carefree sound than he'd ever heard from her. Itachi felt a sudden shocking twinge of some hot emotion zing through him as she replied, "Not at the moment, but I'll keep it in mind." Opening her fan with a flick of her wrist, she swept it in an elegant gesture. "So, kid, what's your first question?"

Naruto pulled a notebook and pen from an inner pocket of his jacket. Flipping it open, he said, "Well, one of the things everyone wants to know the most is, when is the wedding going to be?" He looked from one to the other of them, his pen poised expectantly.

Temari went back to waving her fan lazily back and forth in front of her face as she slanted a look at Itachi. Locking that away that brief yet totally disturbing feeling for later analysis Itachi said, "No date has been set as yet. Lady Temari and I are still getting acquainted with each other. She must return to Suna at the end of the week, but has invited me to visit her in a couple of weeks. And before you ask, yes, I'm looking forward very much to spending time with her in her own village. Also," he added with a hint of a smile, "I've already spoken with Asuma about it so no, Naruto, you won't be coming with me to cover the visit."

The reporter shrugged and grinned widely as he jotted down Itachi's answer. "Aw, well, it was worth a try. I've never been to Suna before. Okay, the next questions are for Lady Temari: What do you think of Konoha, and how do you think you'll like living here?"

Temari tipped her head to one side and touched her fan briefly to her lips. "Konoha is beautiful, almost overwhelmingly beautiful - even if also very humid!" She fluttered her fan dramatically. "The sunsets in Suna _are_ more spectacular due to all the dust in the air, as I hope to prove to Lord Itachi when he comes to visit." She slanted him a look from the corners of her eyes. "But in all seriousness, what I find to be the most impressive feature of Konoha is her people. I can never adequately express my gratitude to everyone who's gone out of their way to make me feel welcome not just as a guest in the village, but as a future resident. I will like living in Konoha very, very much."

Naruto scribbled furiously, even as he looked more than a little dazzled by Temari's startling metamorphosis into the epitome of a charismatic, diplomatic, perfect princess. Itachi admired the performance, even as he experienced a tiny, internal wrenching over what she hadn't said: That she would like living in Konoha _with him_ very, very much.

"Okay!" The blond reporter looked up from his notebook again. "So, how do you both feel about your upcoming marriage?"

...And _that_ was the one question Itachi had been hoping Naruto wouldn't ask. Behind that polished facade he sensed how Temari's sudden tense inner stillness mirrored his own. For the briefest of moments her fan paused: he dropped his gaze to his hands where they rested on top of his thighs as his fingers went rigid. The topic remained so extremely sensitive for them, they still instinctively avoided even oblique references to it. He knew their hesitation would be sending all kinds of signals to Uzumaki. But really, what could either one of them say? "Sorry, kid, but we haven't talked about it"? Especially with his betrothed sitting right next to him, obviously waiting for him to come up with an answer.

Clearing his throat, Itachi drew a deep breath and looked up to meet Naruto's expectant blue gaze. "Sometimes one has to look beyond oneself and see the needs of the many instead of the one. While it is true Lady Temari and I are marrying for the welfare of our villages and our clans, we enter this marriage holding the utmost respect for each other. I think I also speak for both of us when I say I honestly hope that, one day, we will be blessed with love in our lives together."

Only when Naruto bent his head to record Itachi's answer did he dare to turn his head slightly to look at Temari and found her watching him over her fan from the corner of her eye. What thoughts passed behind those unreadable turquoise eyes? he wondered. Had he won her approval with his words? Or had he doomed any chance they might ever have had for happiness in the future? She looked away, her fan resuming its slow, hypnotic back and forth motion.

The rest of the interview went fairly smoothly - and quickly - after that. Naruto bowed deeply to them again with profuse thanks for the interview. Once he'd been ushered out, Itachi sat lost in his own thoughts, Temari evidently occupied in the same activity. When she snapped her fan shut he actually jumped slightly. As he quickly looked up she rose to her feet and took several swift steps toward the window. Standing as well he said, "Temari?" catching himself up just short of adding, "What's wrong?" - which would, he acknowledged ruefully, have been the ultimate stupid question. _Everything_ about this whole miserable situation was wrong.

She didn't look around at him but said pensively, "All this water, falling down so freely from the sky. Suna does have a brief rainy season during the winter, but it's just chilly and damp and uncomfortable. This is so different from anything I've ever experienced." She hesitated, then turned to face him, "Itachi, would you - go walking in the rain with me?"

Itachi did his best to conceal his startlement at her unexpected request. "Of course I will," he responded, promptly going to slide open the door to the verandah so she could pass through ahead of him. "Would you like for me to fetch an umbrella?"

She shook her head. "Thank you, no." As she went out in front of him she added while she stepped into one of the pairs of _geta_ lined up to one side of the door, "That would be defeating the purpose of the expedition," but she sounded shy rather than sarcastic.

Side by side they descended the steps. When she paused on the gravel path at the bottom and looked around at the puddle-pocked, dripping courtyard, he instantly halted as well. "Is there anywhere in particular you'd like to go?" he asked, inwardly glad the earlier gusty downpour had slackened into a gentle if steady rain.

"The gardens, please," Temari immediately replied. He saw her cheeks turn slightly pink beneath their normal tan. "You probably think I'm crazy, but I - I've been hoping it would rain ever since I arrived in Konoha."

Greatly daring, Itachi brushed his fingertips quickly and lightly across the back of the hand still gripping her fan. "No, I don't," he said very gently. "In fact, I greatly admire your spirit of adventure. I promise you, I can't think of a single girl I attended the Academy with who wouldn't be worrying about her hair, or her clothes, or her makeup right now. So, shall we go?"

Neither spoke again as they strolled along the gravel walkway. Before long, water was dripping from the ends of Itachi's hair into his face and down his back, and his shirt was starting to cling to him. But he barely noticed, absorbed instead in watching Temari hold out her hands to catch raindrops in her palms; or lift her face to the sky, blinking and gasping when drops landed in her eyes; or touch water-laden blossoms to create miniature waterfalls as they wandered through the gardens.

Just before reaching the point where they would have to turn around and head back to the house, Temari stopped beneath the carefully trained umbrella of a mimosa tree and turned to look up at him, aqua eyes curious. "Did you mean what you said?" she asked.

Itachi arched one eyebrow. "Just as you, I told nothing but the truth during the interview," he said.

She shook her head impatiently, droplets flying from her soaked ponytails. "That isn't what I asked. Did you really _mean_ what you said about - about our being blessed with love in this arranged marriage."

The air around them was heavy with the scent of jasmine - the same scent as her perfume. He subtly inhaled it as he gazed down at her, remembering that short fierce stab of emotion he'd felt earlier. Had it been because on some unrealized level, he'd already begun to think of her as being _his_? "Yes," he said simply, with all the sincerity within him. "I did. Our marriage might have been arranged for political purposes, but I pray to the ancestors daily that rather than merely being content with tolerating each other, we _will_ learn to love each other, genuinely and truly."

Temari silently searched his eyes for a long moment. When she resumed her leisurely walk, however, he saw the faintest hint of a smile on her face. Perhaps - just _perhaps_ - his hope might yet become reality.

* * *

><p>Tenten sat staring speculatively out into the rain as Hinata read a book and fanned herself. At breakfast that morning, Kakashi hadn't said much. She got the feeling that he was worried about something, which had <em>her<em> on high alert. Kakashi possessed a sixth sense about danger, and when that sense quivered, she made sure she got ready for whatever it might be. Should Hinata require her protection, Tenten would be there to defend her life.

Sighing loudly, Hinata set aside her book and came to stand next to Tenten. "I love the rain, b-but I had hoped that it would b-be pretty outside today. I wanted to show you m-more of the g-gardens."

"_And_ maybe get in a little more weapons-throwing practice," Tenten teased. Hinata's quiet giggle confirmed her suspicion. One thing Tenten truly appreciated about her new workplace was the expansive gardens. Even though she'd been on several walks with Hinata, the heiress had told her that she'd only seen a fraction of what was really there. If what she hadn't seen was anything like what she _had_, she seriously looked forward to the rest of the tour.

"It would have b-been nice, now that you m-mention it." Hinata tapped her index fingertips together lightly, something she rarely did around Tenten anymore. "I-I d-do seem to be g-good at it, d-don't I?"

"The best student I've ever had!" Tenten confirmed cheerfully, and laughed openly when her mistress gave her a speaking look: _I'm the _only _student you've ever had!_ "We'll have plenty of other days to practice. Anyway the last place Kakashi and I worked was Suna, which was so hot and dry, it makes me appreciate the rain here."

Hinata smiled shyly as she lowered herself to sit next to her friend. "When I was a little g-girl, I used to sneak out of the house and g-go running through the rain with-" Her smile vanished, replaced with a look so full of pain and sadness it startled Tenten. The other girl quickly looked down and drew a visibly deep breath, then seemed to force the smile back on her face. "Anyway, I used t-to l-love t-to run in the rain. I still l-like t-to d-dance in it. If the rain l-lessens later w-would you l-like to d-do that with m-me?"

Hmmmmm.

Tenten felt herself go into a state of heightened alertness. Who had Hinata gone running through the rain with? Not her sister Hanabi: there would be no need for the heiress to be secretive about that, quite aside from the fact Tenten didn't think they'd ever been that close. With a father like Hyuuga Hiashi, she totally understood why Hinata might develop a secretive streak. If Kakashi had been like that with her, she would feel no compunction about keeping secrets from her brother! But, she thought with a little bit of hurt, surely she realized by now that anything she told Tenten would be kept between them. Beyond being entrusted with this girl's life, Tenten had long ago learned that keeping secrets put both a bodyguard and his or her charge in danger - mortal danger, sometimes.

However, now didn't seem like the right time to pursue it. She would just wait for the pale-eyed girl to tell her why she'd broken off so abruptly. Instead, Tenten ducked her head and confessed, "Um, that would be fun, if I, ah, knew how to dance." She shrugged her shoulders as Hinata's face fell the least bit, feeling a touch of embarrassment. "Dancing isn't really a part of a bodyguard's skillset. Well," she raised one hand to her mouth and giggled as she suddenly remembered something, "not unless you're a woman of this one certain village in the Land of Earth, where females are expected to be just as educated in fighting as the men; in case they have to protect their homes and children from attack while the menfolk are away. While we were there, the women taught me one of their dances. Tell you what, Hinata: You teach me to dance the way you do, and I'll teach you the dance I learned from them! Pinky promise!"

Hinata's expression brightened again, both young women sharing a laugh as they sealed the childish promise. For a few minutes more, the two women sat in companionable silence, watching the blowing downpour. Hinata eventually stood and drifted away, tilting her head as she ran her fingers along the spines of the books on the shelves lining half of one wall at the back of the room. Tenten continued to watch the rain, gazing through the curtain of water with sharp eyes that promised to catch and then quickly analyze any movement not caused by the storm. Things seemed quiet, since most people had enough sense to stay in out of the rain-

-But what was that? Squinting, Tenten leaned forward a little as she yanked her knife out of the sheath hidden beneath the leg of her loose pants. Shifting into a crouch, she looked a little closer at the area where she'd seen the movement, waiting for another flash of fluttering darkness to present itself.

Nothing. Perhaps it had been only her imagination, then, or something blown from outside the estate by the wind, which _was_ gusting quite strongly. However, she couldn't quite shake off her bad feeling, brought on by her brother's quiet, troubled thoughtfulness earlier that morning. That, plus the general _feel_ of the Hyuuga estate left her constantly on edge, an expectation of _something_ disastrous happening at any moment. In a house as old as this, tragedies would have had to have occurred. Maybe the atmosphere in his home left behind by those tragedies made Hyuuga Hiashi so paranoid all the time...? Really, it didn't seem like such a far-fetched theory to her.

Regardless of whether or not she'd seen something earlier, there was nothing untoward to be seen in the rainswept garden now. Easing back into her relaxed posture, Tenten returned her knife to its sheath, though she didn't ease her vigilance. _Maybe it's the weather that's making me jumpy. Or the atmosphere of this place. Or it could be a combination of both. And then there's Hinata's jumpiness..._ Glancing over her shoulder, she realized with relief that Hinata hadn't noticed Tenten's brief, tense moment.

To her startlement, the door into the suite suddenly slammed open. Tenten leaped to her feet, drawing her knife again as she hurtled across the room to stand protectively in front of Hinata.

"Hinata, how did you ever _stand_ him?"

Tenten blinked. Instead of some black-masked assassin or huge, muscular attacker, she faced a girl no older than thirteen, arms crossed petulantly, lower lip stuck out in a pout, one lock of her dark brown hair falling over one of her familiarly pale eyes. _Who is this?_

A gentle hand touched Tenten's shoulder, and Hinata leaned around her. "Hanabi, don't _do_ that!" she admonished. "Next time, p-please _knock _before you c-come barging in."

The girl, Hanabi, slammed the door shut behind her before going to slump onto the cushion Hinata had abanoned. "I've never had to knock before," she said sulkily. "I shouldn't have to just because _she's _here now." She pointed to Tenten.

This time Hinata interposed herself between Hanabi and Tenten. "Except n-now your b-behavior is n-not only rude, b-but also d-dangerous. Tenten c-could hurt herself trying t-to stop herself f-from hurting _you _b-by mistake." She turned then and said somewhat unnecessarily, "Tenten, meet my younger sister, Hanabi."

Feeling sheepish, Tenten resheathed her knife and bowed. "Lady Hanabi," she said deferentially. _And I was surprised by the difference between Hinata and Ino?_ _That difference is nothing compared to soft-spoken Hinata and spoiled Hanabi! What a brat!_

Hanabi sighed theatrically and wandered over to the table, where she picked up her older sister's abandoned fan. Snapping it open, she lazily drifted it back and forth in front of her face. "_As_ I was saying, how did you ever put up with Iruka-sensei? He's the most _boring_ tutor I've ever had in my life!"

"Hanabi!" Hinata admonished again. "D-Don't say that about Iruka-sensei. He is a g-good man: humble, p-polite, and a skilled instructor. Most of what I know right n-now, I l-learned from him."

"Yeah, yeah." Hanabi waved off her sister's words with the delicate fan. "And you're boring, too, Hinata. But since you're the only company I _have_ in this place, I put up with you."

Tenten bit back a gasp at the young girl's audacity, only to find out that she wasn't even finished.

"I'm thinking about asking Father to find me a new tutor. One that's not so stuffy and boring. He's all about the _rules_, and the _history_, and every little thing has to be _perfect_." She rolled her pale lilac eyes eloquently. "It's _ridiculous._"

Hinata stiffened. "Iruka-sensei g-gave up his p-position at the Acadamy to t-tutor you and me. I suggest you b-be a little more _appreciative_ of him, no m-matter what you think. F-Father thinks very highly of him as well. Say to him what you've j-just said to me, and you'll b-be sent b-back to Anko-sensei for further training in d-decorum, and won't b-be allowed to attend his next g-gathering."

Another sigh heaved its way out of Hanabi's lips. "_You're_ the one who's so interested with life outside, going to the Academy and all that. If you ask me, you're _so_ caught up in it that you're completely missing what you've got here." Slapping the fan closed, she set it down, then stood and headed for the door. Before she opened it, she glanced over her shoulder and delivered one last sentence. "You know, if you weren't so obsessed with putting yourself in danger all the time, maybe you wouldn't even need _her_." She left.

Shaking her head, Hinata covered her face and turned away. "I am _so_ sorry about that," she whispered. Letting out her breath, she turned back, her face bright red. "My sister is so _spoiled_. Father favors her and gives her whatever she w-wants." Her head bowed slightly, and the sad look returned to her face. "But she was especially b-bad today. I apologize on her behalf."

Tenten shrugged. "It's not your fault, Hinata," she said. "I'm used to people, no matter where I go, seeing me differently. Women in my line of work are rare, to say the least. Kakashi tells me I'm intimidating, so people are uncomfortable around me, which makes it hard for them to like me. But I have my brother, and a friend in you, now, so I can't let what people think get inside my head." She'd learned that lesson the hard way a long time ago.

"I wish I c-could be that confident," Hinata sighed. "Father hired Iruka-sensei's wife to try to teach me to b-be less timid and nervous, as well as all the rules of etiquette we must f-follow. She has the same c-confidence in herself as you, and tried so _hard _to t-teach me how to be that way, too. Obviously, it d-didn't work." Smiling sadly, she looked past Tenten to the half-open outer door. "Oh! It's nearly stopped raining." Turning, she moved toward the door. "Come, and we'll walk in the g-gardens. B-but I think we'll leave the d-dancing for another day."

Heart hurting for her friend, Tenten followed. Hinata was such a sweet, compassionate, gentle girl, she couldn't understand why anyone would have such a low opinion of her - especially her own sister. Resolving to make sure to avoid Hanabi in the future, she trailed along after Hinata, picking up an umbrella along the way, just in case.

After all, it was her job to be ready for anything.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ So, your first (teeny although it was) glimpse of Neji! And, once more, I'm _so_ very sorry for this semi-late update. I promise to try to do better next week. Until then, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	7. Arrangements

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _rao hyuga 18_ and _DarkAnonymous324_ for your wonderful reviews, and to everyone who's added this to their favorite and alert lists!

**Author's Note:** Lots of interesting things going on in this chapter... And the last one before you finally get to see Neji! He'll be making his first official appearance in the next chapter, which I'm really excited for. Until then, I hope you all have a safe and happy Halloween, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter VII~*<strong>

_~Arrangements~_

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><p>With a little sigh, Tenten laid aside Thursday morning's edition of the<em> Konoha Daily, <em>with Naruto's interview of the village's current most famous couple prominently displayed on the front page. "I hope love _does_ come to Lord Itachi and Lady Temari," she said wistfully. "It would be terrible enough to be forced into a marriage with someone you barely know. But then to spend the rest of your life with someone who will never be your soulmate, no matter how hard you try? I can't imagine what a nightmare that would be."

"My p-parents' marriage was arranged," Hinata said softly. "I c-cannot speak for Father, b-but I know Mother loved him and was happy."

Tenten felt her cheeks go hot. She automatically inclined her upper body in a bow. "I'm sorry, Lady Hinata! Truly, I meant no disrespect! I spoke without thinking."

"T-Tenten, it's all right," Hinata said quickly, reaching out to touch her hand with a featherlight touch. "You d-don't need to apologize, I know you d-didn't mean anything wrong. I j-just wanted you to know it's quite possible you'll g-get your wish, that's all." She picked up the abandoned paper and sat gazing down at it. "The Hyuuga and Uchiha used to live in p-peace, secure in the knowledge of how each of our respective roles c-complemented the other's in making Konoha strong and p-prosperous." She brushed her fingertips across the front page, and Tenten noticed how they lingered ever-so-slightly on the photograph of the article's author. "This is g-going to make Father even more f-furious than before."

Tenten felt puzzled. "Because the interview was published?"

"Partly, b-because it will keep the betrothal in the public eye and k-keep people talking about it," Hinata said. "But," her cheeks turned faintly pink as she looked away from Tenten as if it were her turn to be embarrassed, "also b-because of the p-positive tone throughout it. If this pairing were to prove," she hesitated as though searching for the best word, "_incompatible,_ then the alliance of the Uchiha and Sabaku clans will be severely undermined, if not completely negated. That would b-benefit the Hyuuga, t-to Father's way of thinking. However, if Itachi and T-Temari _can_ achieve a happy union, as they seem c-committed to doing, then Father will f-feel even more threatened."

_And Lord Hyuuga does not react well to threats, _Tenten remembered with a chill. Some of Kakashi's tales of older times - of clan rivalries, bitter power struggles, and bloody civil wars - filled her mind with too-vivid images. Was such a horrific thing about to happen in Konoha?

The sound of Hinata drawing a deep breath recalled Tenten to her surroundings. She refocused her eyes on her mistress in time to see her replace the newspaper on the table with great care, almost as if she feared handling it roughly would cause an explosion. Her pale eyes lifted to Tenten's, and she forced a tremulous smile.

"D-disloyal as it may s-sound to you," she said in the whispery voice that made Tenten's heart ache for her friend, "I agree w-with you and not F-Father. I, t-too, hope they c-can salvage h-happiness and even l-love from this situation."

"I think that just proves what a wonderful, goodhearted person you are, Hinata," Tenten said firmly, wanting to add, _And one of these days, you'll be a greater leader of Konoha than Lord Hyuuga ever dreamed of being, and you will heal the breach between her two strongest clans._

_I just pray you will have that chance._

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><p>Tenten shifted restlessly on her futon, caught in that eerie limbo between sleeping and waking where dream and reality coexisted uneasily. <em>She knelt in front of a memorial stone, palms pressed together in prayer. She did not know for whom she mourned, but inside her chest her heart was breaking-<em>

Denial fierce enough to be almost physical wrenched through her. Waking fully, she sat straight up with a gasp, cold sweat prickling along her hairline and between her breasts, _What was _that_?_ the clearest thought her mind could formulate. She wiped her face on the lapels of her pajama top and tried to still her trembling. A sound penetrated the throbbing pulse in her ears, faint but clear enough to set her scrambling free of the covers and across the room: the unmistakable sound of muffled weeping.

"Milady! _Hinata!_" Enough moonlight filtered through the thin panes of the shouji giving onto the garden to let Tenten see the figure curled into a tight a ball under the covers on the far side of the big bed. Pausing just long enough to snap on the lamp sitting on the little bedside table, she climbed onto the mattress and reached for Hinata. "What's wrong? Are you sick? In pain anywhere?" Her heart pounding in panic, she frantically cast her mind back over the day as she tugged away the cocooning covers. Poison? No, they'd taken all their meals in the suite again and Tenten had eaten the same exact food as Hinata. They'd spent some time in the garden to practice shuriken-throwing with the new practice dummy the heiress had ordered; but any bite or sting potent enough to cause this severe a reaction would not have gone unnoticed when it happened. "Hina," the familiar diminutive Ino used slipped unnoticed from her lips, "please, _talk_ to me! Tell me what I can do to help!"

Taking hold of her mistress, Tenten tugged as gently as she could given her own fright, trying to get her to roll towards her. Hinata resisted for a moment, tucking even more tightly in on herself, before lifting her head and turning it slightly toward her bodyguard. "I-I'm s-sorry, T-Tenten," she said, her voice thickened by tears and barely audible even with Tenten bending right over her. "P-please g-go b-back t-to s-sleep. I-I'm f-fine."

_The heck you are!_ Tenten thought grimly. _Your stutter hasn't been this bad since the day I met you!_ Aloud she said in a soft, neutral tone, "I may be wrong, but people don't normally cry their eyes out when they're fine. You know I'm here to protect you in every way possible. But more than that, we're friends now. So as your friend, Hina, please tell me: what can I do to help you?" She sat back on her heels to give the other girl some space, fully prepared to stay there the rest of the night if necessary.

From that position she watched the heiress's body language as she fought for self-control. It took a while but finally Hinata uncurled and sat up, though she still kept her face down. In her lap her fingertips began tapping against each other frantically. After an even longer time she whispered, "T-Tenten, if I should have to l-leave K-Konoha, w-would you g-go w-with me?" Almost immediately, though, she shook her head and clenched her hands together. "N-no, I'm s-sorry, that's s-selfish of me. You would h-have to l-leave your brother, and I d-don't want to b-be the cause of that."

Tenten felt as though the room, and beyond it the whole world, had suddenly skewed sideways. "But," she said hesitantly, feeling her way as though along an unstable clifftop, "you're the Hyuuga heiress, the future leader of your clan and village. Why would you have to leave Konoha?"

Hinata's lips kinked in a brief, bitter grimace. "I'm only the heiress b-because I'm the firstborn. F-Father would much rather have Hanabi f-follow him. Since Mother's d-death, he's had the entire shaping of her and in - certain w-ways, she's as w-warped as _he_ is."

"One of those 'certain ways' being his hostility toward the Uchiha," Tenten guessed; then, greatly daring, added, "And his paranoia in general?"

Hinata dipped her head a little lower in acknowledgement, then raised it so she could look at Tenten through the strands of night-dark hair clinging to her wet face. "In h-honesty there is a reason f-for that, which I will t-tell you. B-but Lady Temari has two brothers. If Father were t-to arrange a marriage for me with one of them - p-preferably Lord G-Gaara himself-" Her voice failed her, but Tenten immediately saw where she'd been going.

"If he could do that, then you would have to abdicate your position here. _Plus _the Hyuuga would also have a connection with the Sabaku, offsetting the Uchiha's! And Hanabi would become the successor your father wants." Tenten shivered at the coldbloodedness of it, but did not doubt for a second the accuracy of Hinata's analysis. "Hina, that's-" She couldn't find the words to continue.

After a long pause, Hinata went on. "Of course, he v-views it as d-doing what's best for the clan and the v-village. But _I _love Konoha t-too, and I _d-don't_ believe that w-would be the best thing for its p-people."

_No indeed!_ Even though she didn't speak the words aloud, Tenten could tell that Hinata had read them from her expression. She tried to visualize Kakashi treating her with such calculating callousness, and utterly failed. "You said he has a reason for being so-" she started to say, then cut herself off. Not sure if she wanted to hear any more she made a gesture, as though to erase her words.

But if Hinata saw it, she ignored it. "My f-father had a brother, Hizashi. They were identical twins, and inseparable throughout their childhood and young manhood, as if t-true halves of one whole. When my father inherited the headship of our c-clan and v-village, Uncle became his most trusted advisor. They remained as c-close as always, even marrying in a d-double ceremony. B-but then, one horrific day, everything ... _changed_."

As Tenten sat frozen with dread, Hinata's silvery lilac eyes shimmered with fresh tears which rolled down her cheeks and dripped off her chin. "When I w-was three years old, my f-father discovered a p-plot by my uncle against him. Evidently, even though he was the younger t-twin, Uncle Hizashi had h-hoped the l-leadership of the c-clan would s-somehow p-pass down to _him_, instead of my father. My b-birth t-tipped him over the edge. F-from that d-day on, he l-laid plans to t-take it by f-force." She lifted shaking hands to her face, hiding it from Tenten's view as she fought for enough composure to choke out, "F-Father ordered Uncle Hizashi b-be p-put t-to d-death f-for his c-crime in a p-p-public execution."

Tenten didn't know exactly when she'd lifted her hand to cover her mouth, but when she realized it, she lowered it so she could speak. "Hinata!" she whispered helplessly; then felt herself go dizzy with horror as the full meaning of her friend's words penetrated. "You mean you were _there _when-" She couldn't finish her sentence. Instead she impulsively lunged across the width of the bed to grab Hinata in a fiercely protective hug.

Hinata clung to Tenten in return. "M-my father was n-never the s-same after that. Knowing h-his own t-twin brother - the one m-man in the world he unquestioningly trusted above all others - had c-conspired to t-take p-power for himself b-by any m-means necessary-" She shook her head against Tenten's shoulder. "He has k-kept Hanabi and me s-separate m-most of our lives, as though to k-keep history f-from repeating itself. B-but I d-do not know my s-sister. How will that m-make things b-better f-for us? Except for I-Ino and now you, T-Tenten, I have b-been so alone f-for so l-long. And s-so afraid of this d-dark shadow I sense c-creeping over Konoha." She lifted her head and pulled back to stare with frightening intensity into Tenten's eyes. "I d-don't know how to describe or explain this f-fear I f-feel, Tenten. But I w-will do _anything_ to protect my village: even enter into an arranged m-marriage myself if I believed there were one p-possible that would somehow k-keep Konoha safe. I _promise _you I would!"

Feeling very much like Kakashi must have felt when she'd woken with night terrors, Tenten pulled Hinata back in a comforting hug. "Sh-sh, I believe you," she said in a calming murmur. She instinctively began to sway from side to side while smoothing one hand across her mistress's back in a soothing, circular motion. "I'll always be your friend, Hina, no matter what. That's _my _promise to you. Go back to sleep, now." She found herself repeating the same words Kakashi had spoken to her so many times in her childhood. "I'll be here to keep watch over you, and when the sun comes up, we'll see that the morning has brought us brighter things."

It wasn't long before her actions had their desired effect. Tenten felt Hinata's arms loosen from around her as her whole body gradually slackened. She very carefully eased the sleeping girl down onto the bed and pulled the covers over her again. But instead of going back to her own futon and interrupted sleep, she settled into a cross-legged position on the foot of the bed after turning off the bedside lamp. Her mind flitted back to the last occasion she'd sat thus, during Ino's sleepover. After the shocking revelations of this night, the lighthearted chatter among the three girls seemed almost to have happened in a different lifetime.

Tenten's hands clenched into fists. Once, twice, a third time she pounded them lightly on her knees. It made her angry to think Lord Hiashi could legitimately deprive Hinata of her birthright by arranging a marriage for her outside Konoha. Not for the first time, she thought about how _seriously_ she disliked that man.

Her eyelids grew heavy. As she hovered in a kind of waking doze, Hinata's recounting of the tragedy in her clan's not-so-distant past began to muddle together with bits and pieces of her brother's history lessons. _It's almost as though I've landed in one of those tales,_ went hazily through her mind.

And then her breath caught sharply, nearly triggering a coughing fit, as her eyes flew wide open. All Kakashi's vague hints and subtle warnings coalesced into a single horrifying thought: Was he trying to tell her Hinata might possibly be in some kind of danger from her own father?

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><p>Leaning his aching forehead into the palm of his left hand, Itachi stared at the screen on his laptop as he scrolled through various reports. Though technically relieved of his clan duties during Temari's visit, he didn't want things piling up. He'd been staying up late to work ever since her arrival, and the long hours were beginning to take a toll on him. Taking his right hand off the mousepad long enough to pick up his cup of tea, he sipped it, then made a face at the taste: Cold again. He debated the merits of making a fresh pot, but rejected it as too time-consuming. And he was nearly done anyway. But there would be no chance of a long, relaxing soak in the family bath house tonight; he'd just have to make do with the more basic facilities in his quarters.<p>

A soft tapping at the door of his quarters brought his head up with a jerk that sent a hot jab of pain from behind his eyes to the base of his skull. Stifling the urge to grab his head between both hands and groan, he glanced at the time display in the screen's bottom right corner before he went to slide the shouji open to reveal his brother.

"Are you just getting home, Sasuke?" he asked, then held up both hands in a fending-off gesture as the serious expression on his brother's face registered with him. "Sorry, that didn't come out right. Please, come in."

Sasuke's lips quirked briefly in that lopsided grin Itachi had always found endearing. "'S okay, Itachi. It _is _pretty late." His black eyes slid sideways to the open laptop. "But I see you're working. Maybe this isn't the best time for you."

"Not to worry. Make yourself comfortable while I shut this down." Itachi's long fingers glided smoothly over the keys, saving his work and shutting down the machine, as Sasuke settled in one of a pair of low chairs facing each other in an inner corner of the room. "Would you like some tea?"

"No, thanks. I lost count of how many pots we went through at Akimichi's."

Itachi took the remaining seat, his eyes automatically taking in and approving the other man's white slacks and navy blue shirt. "Mother said at dinner you'd accepted an invitation to meet some friends there."

"Yeah. Some of the old gang from school. Itachi-" Without warning, Sasuke gripped the arms of his chair and dropped all pretense of this being a casual visit. "Older brother, I need to ask you some questions. Like, _Why _hasn't Father started teaching me how to run the police force if I'm supposed to take it over someday?"

Itachi nearly flinched from the raw pain in his younger brother's voice, but managed to keep his own calm and matter-of-fact as he replied, "I think, perhaps, because you are more like Mother in your nature: you were always such a happy child. Whereas I - for some sin I must have committed in a past life - have always been more like Father." As he'd hoped, a gleam of appreciation for his sally lit Sasuke's black eyes. "It's _your_ birthright and heritage, though. Maybe it's time you reminded Father of that. _I_ certainly don't want it."

For a brief instant, so brief Itachi half-wondered if he'd imagined it, a look of panic flitted across the younger man's face before the seriousness returned. "Yes, you're right, I should do that." He drew a deep breath. "Okay, next question: Why do Father and Lord Hiashi hate each other so much?"

Itachi's eyebrows arched at the unexpectedness of the question. "'Hate' is a very strong word," he said to buy himself time to think.

"Very strong, but very accurate," Sasuke countered swiftly. "Don't try to tell me you haven't noticed the look he gets in his eyes when the Hyuuga are mentioned, Itachi, because I won't believe it."

"All right, I won't, then. But in all honesty," Itachi's forehead wrinkled as he considered the matter, "I'm not really sure. Even though I don't think they ever really _liked _each other, it seems as though it has gotten more extreme in recent years - on Father's side at least. It almost seems as though he's become," he hesitated over the word, "_obsessed _with the idea that we Uchiha should be Konoha's ruling clan rather than the Hyuuga."

Sasuke's expression turned grimmer. "And so he arranges the marriage between you and Lady Temari." Itachi felt his facial muscles, and the rest of his body, freeze. Before he could respond, Sasuke leaned forward and said intensely, "Wait, and hear me out, Itachi, please. I told you I met some of the guys from my class tonight. And of course your betrothal came up, because you know _everybody_ in the village is talking about it."

Itachi managed a stiff nod, trying not to bristle over a still very sore subject. "May I ask if Uzumaki Naruto made one of the group tonight?"

"Yes, but don't worry about that. He's a straight-up guy; still hyperactive, but starting to outgrow the knuckleheadedness. Trust me on this, he absolutely knows everything we discussed among ourselves tonight is _strictly_ off the record. But another member of the group was Nara Shikamaru." He paused expectantly, his eyes still boring into his brother's.

However much Itachi disliked the fact he and his future wife had been a hot dinner conversation topic for a bunch of young men barely out of high school, he willed himself to be patient and believe his brother had a valid reason for this conversation. "Nara Shikamaru," he repeated slowly. Of course he knew the Nara to be one of the other noble clans of Konoha, but- The name suddenly clicked into place. "Isn't he the one everyone calls the 'lazy genius'? Spends most of his time playing shougi with Sarutobi Asuma?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, when he's not letting himself get reeled in by Yamanaka Ino. Anyway, his IQ is supposed to be off the charts. He drove our teachers crazy by answering just as many questions on exams as he needed to make a passing grade, then sleeping through the rest of the class. Asuma says in any given game, Shikamaru looks _hundreds_ of moves ahead. But he doesn't just see and analyze the patterns in shogi. He does the same thing with real-life situations: Like inter- and intravillage politics, and the impact of arranged marriages on the status quo."

Itachi sucked in a sudden sharp breath as the realization of why Sasuke had come straight to him from his dinner engagement tingled clear to the tips of his fingers and toes. "May I ask what Nara Shikamaru's analysis of this - situation - is?"

He saw his brother's shoulders sag the least bit, as though a weight had been removed, then square again. Sasuke kept his voice low, but he took on a clipped tone, as though he were making an official report. "First, we aren't the only ones who have noticed the change in Father. The heads of the lesser noble clans have seen it as well, and their sons have, ah, overheard some conversations. The way Shikamaru sees it: Despite however he presented his reasons for this alliance with the Sabaku to Lord Gaara, Father's whole purpose in securing it is to make Lord Hiashi feel threatened by a perceived tipping of the balance of power in Konoha toward the Uchiha. Our parent is _counting_ on the current village leader's well-known paranoia to push him into making an aggressive move against us to 'pre-empt' our 'grab' for power. As a consequence of you being related to them by marriage, the Sabaku will be forced to support the Uchiha's defensive response, effectively giving us the advantage. If the leadership of Konoha changes hands in the ensuing struggle-" Sasuke spread his hands. "That would just be the fortunes of war, right? Or that would be how he _intends_ for it to be seen."

Itachi's head hurt so badly he felt physically ill. Or maybe the nausea came from truly comprehending how far Uchiha Fugaku was willing to go in his quest for power. Before he could rein back the impulse, he struck the arms of his chair with his fists and uttered an uncharacteristic profanity. Sasuke still leaned foward in his chair, watching him closely but giving him a chance to come to grips with what he'd just heard: As _he'd_ had to come to grips with it earlier. Empathy with his brother quenched his rage and allowed him to regain his balance.

"All right, Sasuke," he said, amazed on some level at how normal and calm he sounded. "Postulating Shikamaru's analysis is one hundred per cent correct: What countermeasures did he recommend for restoring the status quo?"

Something oddly like mischief glinted in Sasuke's eyes. "Well, that's just it," he said apologetically. "He says in shougi, there's no such thing as 'restoring' or 'maintaining' the status quo. The whole object of the game is to tip things so far in your favor that you win." In mock exasperation, Itachi slowly raised his right hand, the first two fingers extended. His brother breathed a laugh, then turned deadly sober again. "For real-life situations, however-" His jaw muscles bunched, abruptly making him look years older. "Shikamaru could only see _one_ possible way to 'even the playing field,' as he put it."

_No! No!_ Itachi, no mental slouch himself, abruptly anticipated what Shikamaru's solution hadto be. Without willing it, he sprang to his feet, shock and horror vibrating along every nerve in his body. He didn't even realize he'd spoken that passionate denial aloud until Sasuke slowly stood to face him, standing nearly eye-to-eye with him.

"We talked it over for hours. If we're to save Konoha from a civil war that would cost a lot of lives, older brother," Sasuke's voice held just the faintest trace of unsteadiness, but his eyes never wavered from Itachi's, "another arranged marriage _has _to happen: Me with Hyuuga Hinata."

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ Okay, I _have_ to say it. I _adore_ writing Itachi and Sasuke together. Their interactions pre-massacre are some of my favorites in all of the _Naruto_ series, and I'm really enjoying exploring how they might have turned out in an alternate world where that didn't happen. _Anyway_! Next chapter is Neji's first official appearance, so until then, thank you for reading, and I hope you all have a safe and happy Halloween!


	8. Encounters

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _rao hyuga 18_, _DarkAnonymous324_, and _Celtic-Memories _for all your kind reviews, and to all those who added this story to their favorite and alert lists!

**Author's Note:** And I give to you the long awaited chapter: Neji's first official appearance! I'm _really_ excited about this one, and the coming ones. So much juicy stuff in store for you all! Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter VIII~*<strong>

_~Encounters~_

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><p>"Really, Tenten, you d-don't have to walk to the Tower with me. I know you're l-looking forward to using the guards' training f-facilities," Hinata said as the two girls left the main house, heading for the administrative tower. "I've been doing this the last F-Friday of the month since I was f-fifteen."<p>

"Wow, seriously? You've been managing a household the size of this since you were fifteen?" Tenten gave her companion a respectful look. "That's impressive!"

Hinata's cheeks colored slightly. "It's j-just what I've b-been trained to do since I was little. Now, what you d-do - being able to t-take care of yourself the way you d-do - that impresses me!"

"Which you're also learning to do," Tenten reminded her. "You're doing so well with the shuriken, I think we're going to add knives to the training. And I _know_ I don't _have_ to walk you to the Tower. I just _want_ to walk there with you. And if it'll make you feel better about it," she grinned, "this is just what I need to start warming up my muscles!"

Hinata giggled. "I'll admit, it is n-nice to have your company."

They finished crossing the remaining distance in companionable silence. Just before she went up the steps into the building, Hinata pulled herself to her full if slight height and said with mock severity, "I _order_ you to take the entire day off, Tenten. I expect you to enjoy yourself thoroughly. Understand?"

Tenten bowed, trying all the while to stifle her own fit of the giggles. "Thank you, milady. You have a good day, too." She watched until Hinata vanished into the interior of the tower, then set off briskly toward the left rear of the estate. Despite her growing affection for her charge, she welcomed some time to train more intensely than she could within the confines of the heiress's quarters. After growing up doing training sessions with Kakashi at least once most days of her life, she worried she might be - well, not exactly losing her edge, but maybe in danger of going just a _little_ soft. The only thing that could possibly make this day any better would be if her brother were able to share it with her. Unfortunately he'd spend it standing in a corner of Lord Hyuuga's office, bored out of his head as one dull meeting succeeded another. . .

The gateway to the compound-within-a-compound which contained the barracks for the guard cohorts currently on active duty, the baths, kitchen and dining hall, along with the armories and training facilities, stood open. Just as she drew even with the portals an unidentified something - a sound, a puff of air from an unexpected direction, or just some gut-level, intuitive _feeling_ - snapped Tenten into a state of high alert. Reacting to that stimulus, she automatically launched herself into a high forward flip as the knives concealed under her sleeves dropped into her waiting hands. Even before her feet touched ground again she'd thrown them, one to either side of her. As she tucked and rolled her ears registered dual solid thunks that let her know both weapons had connected with their targets.

Movement flickered at the extreme edge of her vision. Her hands dove into the pouches on her belt and came out holding a pair of shuriken in each. She pirouetted, casting the weapons at precise intervals with all the grace of a maiden tossing flowers. _Chunk! Chunk! Chunk! Chunk!_ Four more assailants went down, and stayed down. Tenten came out of her spin, her katana already in hand, and got her first clear look at her ambushers: Figures clad entirely in black from head to toe, with only the barest strip left uncovered over the eyes. She only had time to think: _Ninja. Here. Seriously?_ before the last trio left standing rushed her, their katana already slashing toward her in deadly arcs.

Tenten yielded herself to the fierce beauty of the dance, her body reflexively flowing from strike to counterstrike to evasion and back again while her entire mind focused on absorbing and analyzing every detail of her opponents' methodology. Staged fight or genuine, it didn't matter. Her whole existence drew down to _this_ moment, _this_ fight. _If you don't come at me prepared to kill me, you'll never be any good at this_. Kakashi had spoken those words to her at the beginning of her training. He'd repeated them often during the following years, especially when she felt unmotivated or complacent - and matched his actions to his words until she shook off the cobwebs. _It's the difference between keeping yourself and your client alive, or dying._

Only one attacker remained. Tenten felt a little winded, but kept her breathing even as they circled warily, content to wait for the other to make his opening move. It came. Their swords whispered and sang to each other in a lightning-fast exchange of blows. Tenten saw an opening and took it-

-And in the next heartbeat not only found her blade trapped and immobile, but herself chest-to-chest with her opponent, the tiniest pinprick in the hollow at the base of her skull warning her not to move. Tenten stared into dark brown eyes only a couple of inches from her own, that still gave no hint as to whether this were a test or in earnest.

If you don't come prepared to kill. . .

"Nice trick," she said as steadily as she could. "But you really should look down at my left hand."

A sound - half growl and half chuckle - came from behind the man's mask. "You've got a knife ready to sever the groin artery, don't you?" he asked.

"Guaranteed to pierce the chinks in any body armor. Shall we call it a draw, sir?"

The corners of the eyes boring so intently into hers suddenly crinkled at the corners. Used to reading her brother's moods and expressions past his mask, Tenten knew the man was grinning broadly. "So, Kakashi," he called out, "_do_ we call it a draw?"

To Tenten's immense (if carefully concealed) relief, her brother stepped into view behind the man holding the _senbon_ to her neck. Drooping his eye in a wink and casually holding up a hand in their signal for _No tricks!_ he said, "A draw works for me, Genma. Stand down, Tenten."

As they carefully disengaged and stepped away from each other, Kakashi came to stand next to her. The captain of the Hyuuga guard tugged down his mask. Suddenly, fallen "ninja" were springing to their feet all around them, sweeping off their own masks and hoods as they fell into two rows facing Tenten.

Genma bowed to her, the men behind him following their captain's example. "Please forgive the deception, Tenten," he said as he straightened. "We intended no offense to you or Kakashi by seeming to doubt your capabilities. But we of the Elite Guard Corps hold Lady Hinata in the highest esteem. There isn't a man of us who wouldn't gladly die in her service."

Tenten bowed as well. "I hold Lady Hinata in equally high regard," she replied, "and agree it would be an honor for any man - or woman - to die for her. I hope I proved to your satisfaction I am well-fitted to protect her."

"You have indeed," Genma said. Absentmindedly sticking the _senbon_ in his mouth as though it were his toothpick, the captain called over his shoulder, "Okay, you lot, pull Tenten's weapons out of your body armor and return them to her on your way to getting back into uniform."

Each squad member introduced himself as he gave either a knife or a shuriken to her, praising her skill and thanking her for the honor of testing her. The two she'd "taken out" with her katana came last in line, displaying the slashes in their costumes and admiring the accuracy of her strikes. During the exchange of compliments, she heard Kakashi in the background murmur to Genma, "Believe me now that she never misses?"

* * *

><p>Tenten sighed contentedly, lifting her face into the breeze and feeling pleasantly tired. "This has been a wonderful day, big brother." It had been, too, including a personal tour of the guard compound with Captain Genma, and lunch in the dining hall with him and the men who'd taken part in her test. "I'm so glad you were able to be here, too." She thought for the twentieth time of asking Kakashi what he knew of the Hyuuga tragedy, but repeatedly shied away, not wanting to cast such a dark shadow over the day.<p>

Kakashi nodded and stretched a final time. "Almost like old times. I've enjoyed it, too. Even if," he added deadpan, "I've had to turn down at least three offers for your hand." Getting to his feet where they'd been doing cool-down stretches on the grass under a neatly-trimmed willow, he offered her a hand up. Grasping it in her own, she let him pull her to her feet, feeling slightly surprised when he kept hold of hers. "All kidding aside, Tenten, what you did here today will be told throughout every cohort of the Hyuuga guard. They respect you and accept you now, and will back you to the utmost if you ever need it." The corners of his finely-shaped lips curved up in a wistful grin as he squeezed her hand a little more tightly. "In case I haven't told you this recently, Panda: I am very, very proud of you."

Wondering slightly at his mood, Tenten flushed with pleasure and embarrassment. "I owe _everything_ to you, big brother. Thank you so much for, for- Well, you know."

"I know. I thank the ancestors daily for bringing you into my life." Kakashi lifted a stray strand of hair away from her face and wrapped around one of her buns. He kissed the top of her head as usual, then covered the lower half of his face again. "Sorry there aren't separate bathing facilities here, but-" He shrugged. "You'd better scoot if you're going to get cleaned up before meeting Lady Hinata at the Tower. Love you, Panda Bear."

"Love you too, big brother." She stretched up to peck his cheek just above the edge of his mask with a quick kiss, then made her way swiftly out of the guard compound. A glance at her timepiece made her pick up her pace and decide to take a shortcut through the gardens at the rear of the estate and enter Hinata's quarters from there. In fact, maybe she should just _run_-

Relying on her internal compass, Tenten wove her way along the fragrant and colorful maze of paths threading the intricate plantings, her sandeled feet making very little noise as she skimmed along. As she skidded around a sharp corner she registered the presence of a dark-clad figure kneeling in the path at the edge of one of the flowerbeds. The morning's experience flashed through her mind. Her hands made an abortive twitch toward a weapon, even as she realized it was just one of the gardeners going about his work. He sprang to his feet, eyes and mouth rounded in alarm; she tried to backpedal, but couldn't stop herself, slamming into his broad chest. It felt like she'd run into a wall.

Out of instinct, she grasped the fabric of the gardener's shirt to steady herself as his hands (warm, rough, work-hardened, she automatically noted) curled around her upper arms. "I am so sorry!" she gasped. Embarrassed, she took a step back and let go of his shirt at the same moment he snatched his hands back from her arms. She offered a quick bow before looking up to see who she'd nearly flattened in her haste. But instead of responding, the young man bent, snatched up his implements, and hurriedly pushed past her, vanishing almost immediately behind a stand of ornamental bamboo.

Tenten stared after him, her mouth hanging open slightly in shock. The long dark hair pulled back in a low ponytail, the black clothes trimmed in grey signifying his position as one of the lowest-ranking servants in the house, or even the bandages wrapped around his forehead didn't startle her. Instead, her shock resulted from the fleeting glimpse she'd had of his eyes when they'd so briefly met hers: pale, pupil-less, touched with just a hint of lilac. She'd met several servants during her short time in Hyuuga House, and not one of them possessed such distinctive eyes.

Tenten started to turn and resume her interrupted journey to the main house. Another shock struck, bringing her back to a standstill, as she realized she _recognized_ him. He'd been the closely watched servant who had delivered her bag the day she'd been hired by Lord Hiashi as Hinata's bodyguard. Details forgotten since that day resurfaced, and she remembered how he'd kept his head bowed so shorter strands of his hair hid his face, and his eyes lowered to keep them from her view; remembered also the way his guards' eyes had tracked his every movement.

_Hyuuga Hiashi is employing one of his own relatives as a menial_ _servant_? __She shivered with more than a little bit of horror as pieces began clicking together in her mind: The tragedy of Lord Hyuuga and his twin brother, Hinata's bitten off reference of running as a child through the rain with an unspecified someone, the fact he looked to be about the same age as Tenten herself. A suspicion formed, twining icy tendrils around her heart, and she knew she had to discover whether or not it were true.

Quickly as she rushed through her ablutions, Hinata was already standing in the Tower's doorway when Tenten hurried up and bowed. "Sorry to keep you waiting, milady-" she began to say, but her charge laughed and ran lightly down the steps to meet her.

"I didn't mean f-for you to have so much fun you'd _forget_ about m-me!" she exclaimed, poking a teasing finger into Tenten's ribs. "You must have had an _awesome_ d-day and I can't wait t-to hear all about it!"

The two walked back to the main house, Tenten fighting the urge the whole way to blurt out what she suspected. Maids were already setting out the evening meal when they got back to the suite, forcing her to keep strictly to an account of her day within the guard compound. Hinata was at first inclined to be indignant over what she regarded as the "trick" played on her friend; then reduced to blushing speechlessness when Tenten repeated Captain Genma's reason for conducting the test.

But at last, the meal finished and the remnants cleared away, Tenten steeled herself to ask the question she _had_ to have answered, however much she hated how asking it would destroy her mistress's lighthearted mood. "Hinata," she began, then had to stop when her voice unexpectedly wavered. "We're friends, right? About what you told me last night- I think you would have told me the rest of the story then, if you had not been so distraught. I beg you to answer me truly now."

Worry and a hint of fear flashed through Hinata's pale eyes, but she nodded once.

"Tonight on my way back to the house from the guard compound, I ran into someone in the gardens between here and there. Someone dressed as a servant - the lowest of the low. He wore bandages around his forehead, he had long hair about the same shade as your father's, and his eyes were the _exact_ same shade as yours. I remember you saying it was your birth that tipped your uncle into plotting to overthrow you father. Because by the time you were born, he already had a son, didn't he?"

Before Tenten finished, Hinata's facial expression changed. She raised her hands to cover her face, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. When she looked up again, tears still streamed down her cheeks. "Y-you are r-right," she whispered. She cast a nervous glance around her. Then, seizing Tenten's hand, she stood, pulling Tenten up with her and out into the garden, where she sank down onto a bench next to fountain.

"The servant you m-met tonight is m-my cousin, N-Neji," Hinata said, her voice barely above a whisper. "H-he was f-four when it - it happened. M-my f-father spared his l-life b-because of h-his age at the t-time. B-but F-Father still f-fears he w-will f-follow in _his_ father's f-footsteps if g-given the chance - and s-succeed where Uncle f-failed."

* * *

><p><em>Only one more day after today, and then she goes home. <em>At times on Friday Itachi thought that was the only thing helping him cling to his sanity: The fact that Temari would leave Konoha on Sunday to return to Suna.

_Only one more day after today, and then she'll be gone. _At times on Friday Itachi doubted his own sanity: Because once Temari left on Sunday, Konoha would feel strangely empty.

From the moment Sasuke left him, throughout another sleepless night and during the seemingless endless day, it felt like two different people lived inside him, ripping him apart.

He'd made dinner reservations for them at Akimichi's for that evening. Itachi siezed the time spent in preparation for it as a lifeline, an opportunity to regain a measure of internal balance. _It's not Temari's fault,_ he kept telling himself. _She's as much a victim of Father's ambitions as Sasuke and I are._

By the time he'd bathed and dressed in loose black trousers, matching silk shirt and long, open-fronted, sleeveless tunic he'd achieved something close to his usual state of calm. Flicking his ponytail free of the shirt's upstanding collar, Itachi met his own eyes in the mirror. _Just keep reminding yourself that _none_ of this is her fault, and maybe you'll get through this._

He made his way to the small room in the main house where he and Temari had been interviewed by Naruto, fully expecting to be the first one there. To his surprise, his betrothed was standing at the same window as on that day, back turned toward the door.

"Temari!" he exclaimed, stepping into the room. "I am so sorry, I've kept you waiting-" She slowly turned to face him. Words and breath suddenly failed him.

The princess from the sand village wore a deep violet garment similar to a kimono, but which clung to and showcased her figure. A sash of some color he couldn't immediately decide was pink or lavender emphasized her trim waist. Flowing panels nearly the length of the dress itself hung from the long tight sleeves, emulating the full sleeves of a traditional _furisode_. Instead of her usual ponytails her golden brown hair was swirled into an intricate coil on top of her head, a hair ornament brushing her right cheek and ear with its jeweled strands. She tilted her head ever so slightly to one side as the corners of her lips turned up in the tiniest of smiles.

Itachi paused just inside the doorway to bow - and get a grip on himself. "If I could beg your indulgence for a few moments more, my lady," he said as he straightened, "perhaps I should return to my quarters long enough to fetch my katana. For surely I will be the envied target of every man who sets eyes on you tonight."

Temari laughed and flicked her fan open as if to wave away his words. But still, he thought as he crossed to stand just in front of her, she looked more pleased than not. "If it's all the same to you, I think we'll dispense with the katana," she said. Her amazing turquoise eyes flicked over him. "You look very nice yourself."

"Thank you. Shall we go?" Smiling, Itachi indicated her to precede him. Temari inclined her head, took three steps, then suddenly turned to face him.

"Itachi," she said, all traces of her smile gone, replaced by an almost wary expression, "we don't have to do this, you know. I mean, go out to dinner." She looked away from him, adding in a rush, "You've been - distracted all day, and I-I don't want you to feel _obligated_ to take me out tonight."

Remorse stabbed his heart. _It's no more than the truth, what I've been trying to convince myself of all day. _None _of this is in any way her fault._ Reaching out, Itachi very gently took one of her hands between both of his. It felt icy with tension. "Temari," he said softly, "I apologize profoundly for distressing you. I thought I'd succeeded in concealing it from you, but evidently I'm not as self-controlled as I've always prided myself on being. I was to be released from all clan duties this week so I could devote myself to getting to know you, but Father," Itachi ruthlessly assigned his parent the role of sacrificial goat, "hasn't exactly gone along with that. My inbox has been full every night. Please, can you forgive me?"

Temari's eyes lifted to his as he spoke. By the time he'd finished, a hint of her earlier smile had returned and her hand had relaxed. "Well, if you do fall asleep over dinner, I promise I won't be insulted," she said.

Itachi had taken the precaution of ordering a horse-drawn litter to take them to the restaurant and home again. When they entered Akimichi's, he instantly registered the discreetly admiring glances accorded to Temari, and experienced a moment of smug satisfaction. The proprietor of the establishment, Akimichi Chouza himself, seated them at the best table in the house.

"This is _very_ nice," Temari said once the important business of placing their orders had been concluded. "Suna has nothing like it. When you come to visit me, I'm afraid you'll think very poorly of my village."

Gazing at her, Itachi said with simple sincerity, "How could I possibly think poorly of a village so fortunate as to be your home?"

Temari's startled eyes snapped back to his. He smiled warmly at her; a few seconds later she shyly returned it.

They took their time over their meal: Not just because the quality of the food demanded it be savored, but also - on Itachi's part at least - to prolong this evening of fragile rapprochement. However, near the end of it, Itachi sensed a sudden stiffening in Temari as her gaze went past him. Just as he tilted his head in puzzlement over her change in demeanor, she said sharply, "I _know_ that's the girl from the flower shop at that table over there with that guy with the funny hair, and she's been _glaring_ at your back for at least the past five minutes. What _is_ her problem?"

"Yamanaka Ino," Itachi replied calmly and promptly, all the time silently calling curses down on Ino's head. "She is very - excitable, to put it mildly." He set his teacup down. "I think I have an idea why she's wanting to speak with me. Would you please excuse me for a moment?"

That hard, glittering look had returned to Temari's eyes. She inclined her head briefly, and Itachi stood. Just as he turned, someone else came into the restaurant: Sasuke. Their eyes met, and his brother instantly responded to Itachi's unspoken summons.

"Lady Temari. Itachi." Sasuke bowed as he halted next to them. "I didn't expect to see you here. Weren't your reservations for tomorrow night? Or did I get my days mixed up?"

"You got your days mixed up - again," Itachi replied with a lightness he was far from feeling. "Younger brother, evidently Ino would like to discuss a small matter with me. Would you please entertain Temari while I see what she needs?"

Sasuke slanted a glance in that direction himself. "Yeah, it looks like she's got her panties in a wad over something," he said casually. He added over Temari's gasp, "Situation normal for Ino. Better you than me, older brother." Slipping into place across from his future sister-in-law, as he turned away Itachi heard him say, "So, Temari, what would you like to talk about?"

As he approached the other couple's table, Itachi noticed the blue of Ino's furious eyes precisely matched the blue of a gas fire. Before he could even bow politely, she said in a low, fierce voice, "Uchiha Itachi, I want to talk to you!"

"Yamanaka Ino," he replied softly but coldly, "_not_ here, and _not_ now." Staring directly into her eyes, he let his dark gaze overwhelm hers. "You may speak to me about a certain matter _after_ my Lady Temari has left to return to her home. In the meantime, you have not only disrupted our evening, but caused her distress with your behavior." _A slight exaggeration,_ he thought grimly, _I think she was as ready to throttle you as I am!_ "Now, we need to come up with a plausible, innocuous reason why you so urgently wanted to speak with me."

Barely five minutes later Itachi was back at his own table, where Temari and Sasuke were studiously not looking at each other. He laid a hand on his brother's shoulder while smiling at his betrothed. "Thank you, Sasuke," he said, "dilemma solved." And as the younger man stood with a little more haste than was seemly, "I meant to surprise you when you come back to Konoha. Ino's father, Yamanaka Inoichi, has developed a new rose cultivar and Ino couldn't remember if I had ordered the bushes or the trees. I had ordered two of the trees," he knelt across from Temari again, "but if you prefer the bushes instead I can still change the order."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Typical Ino. I'm going over to Kiba now." He bowed, then paused in the act of turning away. "A new cultivar, huh? Has it been named?"

Itachi flickered an amused glance up at Sasuke. "Indeed it has - in fact, the name is one of the reasons I ordered it." He smiled deeply into Temari's eyes. "Because of its color, deep gold in the center shading to lighter gold at the edges, it was named Desert Rose."

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ I know Neji didn't have a _huge_ part in this chapter (I really hope I didn't disappoint you all because of it...), but I promise there's a very good reason, and that you'll see more and more of him in coming chapters. In the meantime, I really hope you enjoyed, and thanks for reading!


	9. Departure

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _rao hyuga 18_ and _Celtic-Memories_ for your wonderful reviews, and to everyone who's added this story to their favorite and alert lists!

**Author's Note:** Sorry for yet _another_ semi-late update (I seem to be making a habit of this), but I've been fighting a monster sinus headache all day and am just now feeling well enough to get online and post. But I can promise more NejiTen interaction in this chapter, so I really hope you like it! Thanks for reading!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter IX~*<strong>

_~Departure~_

* * *

><p>"<em>I know you realize the danger, Tenten. And you're right. The s-safest c-course isn't the f-fairest one. If necessary, I'll c-cover for you as long as I c-can. When you d-do find N-Neji again, p-please t-tell him I don't believe it. Not any of it."<em>

Hinata's parting words hovered in the back of Tenten's mind as she retraced her shortcut from barracks compound to main house from the day before. The early morning air felt pleasantly cool, heavy though it was with moisture and the rich smells of earth and greenery. She'd decided where she'd last seen the outcast Hyuuga prince was logical place to begin her search. She reached the stand of ornamental bamboo, her mind's eye conjuring Neji's tall form disappearing behind it. Circling around it she whimsically half-expected to find him waiting for her. But of course would have been too easy, not to mention totally cliché.

On the other side of the clump a narrow track threaded its way behind taller plantings, leading into a verdant maze where similar dirt paths crossed and crisscrossed. It was, she realized with a sense of delight and awe, the hidden network the estate gardeners used to carry out their duties while staying mostly out of sight of the noble inhabitants.

After hours and hours of fruitless searching with never a glimpse of another human, let alone the one for whom she searched, the charm of the twisting byways seriously palled for Tenten. Hot, sticky with perspiration, and hungry she plopped down onto the ground with a huff of aggravation at a point where three trails intersected. The few rays of sunlight slipping into these depths now penetrated from the opposite direction, and were a deeper shade of gold. Dinnertime was quickly approaching and before long she'd have to return to the house. As if to emphasize that point, her stomach abruptly let go with a loud growl.

Tenten glanced around in embarrassment, glad she was alone - then scrambled to her feet as though stung. _Of course! Dinnertime! Even the menials have to eat sometime!_

The light, never bright in these shadowed trails, was dimming rapidly. She began to run as swiftly as she could through the growing shadows, praying she would emerge close to the kitchens in the back of the main house while calling herself a variety of names.

A lightening of the gloom ahead coaxed her into a fresh burst of speed. She headed full-tilt into a curving offshoot of the narrow path-

-And slammed into a chest, broad and solid as a wall. Reeling backward as much from a sense of _deja vu_ as the actual impact, she gaped at Neji, not sure what to say to him now she'd found him. For his part he stood glowering down at her, one hand lifted above his head. Tenten automatically looked up, and saw he held a _bento_ box out of harm's way.

"Oh, um, hi! I've been looking for you!" she blurted out, and then felt herself blush furiously.

Neji blinked at her, seemingly at a loss for words, before lowering his boxed supper, ducking his head, and moving to step around her as he'd done yesterday. Ready for it this time, though, Tenten instantly blocked his way.

He rocked to a halt, now holding the _bento_ box in front of him like a shield. "Please get out of my way," he grated, his tone at a complete variance from his words.

"I'm Tenten," she said. "I just want to talk to you for a little while."

Neji lifted his head enough to shoot an unreadable look at her from those pale eyes. "Why?" he asked flatly.

_Because I saw the pain in your eyes yesterday, and I want to understand it and try to make it better._ Who knew how he'd react to that! _Because I've only seen you twice, but you absolutely _fascinate _me._ That surprised even her, so she _definitely_ couldn't say _that_. "Because," she finally settled on, "I wanted to get to know the staff in case of an emergency." She winced at the lameness of that excuse. By the look on his face, he didn't buy it either.

"Excuse me. I have important matters to which I need to attend." He managed to slip past her, moving into the gloom with the confidence of one who knew his way blindfolded.

Determined not to let him get away that easily, Tenten pursued. "Neji, please, let me help," she begged him, following after him.

He stopped so abruptly she ran into his back. Spinning around, he pinned her with another glower. "You can help me by staying away from me," he said, each word snapped off with icy precision. "If you persist in seeking me out, you will very likely be the literal death of me. Ask," his voice suddenly broke. Tenten saw his chest heave once, twice. "Ask the person you guard whether or not I'm telling the truth."

Tenten's eyes grew wet. "Neji, Hinata doesn't believe it. Those were her _exact_ words to me before I left her this morning to come looking for you. She told me to tell you she doesn't believe any of it."

Neji stared down at her, his eyes chips of lavender ice. "I don't believe you. _I don't believe you!_ Now get away from me, and _stay_ away from me!" For the second time in as many days, he fled from her. Tenten stood looking after him, tears slipping unheeded down her cheeks.

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><p>On Sunday, Itachi followed Temari across the lower courtyard, watching how the morning sunlight threaded golden fingers through her ponytails. As they approached where her horse waited to carry her back to Suna, he gestured slightly to the groom at the mare's head. The boy bowed and yielded up his place. Taking hold of the bridle, he said softly, "Be careful, Temari."<p>

"I can take care of myself. And, failing that, I've got Baki and Matsuri." Temari jammed the book she carried into one of her saddlebags. She then flicked a hand at her two retainers, already mounted and waiting outside the gates, a cross expression on her face.

"I know," he replied. "But still, to make _me_ feel better, promise you will be very careful."

This time she half-smiled, a hint of a chuckle escaping her lips. "All right. I will be. I _promise_." Her fingers fumbled with the strap of her saddlebag. Turning her head in the direction of the village, she sighed. "Konoha is so beautiful. I almost regret leaving it."

A twinge of jealousy shot through Itachi's chest. _She regrets leaving my village, not _me_. That hurts._ Shoving aside those primal thoughts, he fought to smother the conflicting urges warring within him: One side wanting to speed her on her way so he could return to his ordered life, the other seeking some way to delay her departure. "I look forward to seeing your village in a couple of weeks," he ventured.

Temari lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "I'll warn you now, Suna isn't anything like Konoha. It's hot, dry, and mostly brown. And the sand gets into just about everything."

"I'm positive it holds its own beauty. I remember you told Naruto the sunsets are spectacular."

"Yes, the sunsets," she echoed thoughtfully. "I will admit they are more beautiful there than here. I look forward to your being able to see one, finally." Was it his imagination, Itachi found himself wondering, or did he actually sense a similar struggle going on within her?

The chestnut mare suddenly pranced on impatient hoofs, her hindquarters swinging half around away from the two humans. Itachi automatically reacted by tightening his grip on the bridle and making soothing sounds as he ran a calming hand down her glossy neck. Temari immediately joined him, patting her mount and crooning softly as well. He felt a little thrill shiver through him when their fingers accidentally brushed; heard her breath catch as she froze. Only her eyes moved as her gaze cut sharply to the right, away from meeting his.

She was leaving, and he wouldn't see her again for two weeks. Suddenly he couldn't let her go without - without _something_. Acting on an irresistible impulse, he lifted his free hand to curl his long fingers around the base of her skull, holding her gently in place. The back of her head nested into his cradling palm as if made to fit there. Tilting his head, he lowered his lips to hers and brushed a light, chaste kiss on her mouth.

The moment he broke the kiss, Itachi dropped his hand and gave her some space, all his attention seemingly focused on the mare. As he rubbed and scratched the broad plate of the horse's cheek, he watched Temari from the corner of his eye, noting how pale her face looked under its tan, as well as the blank flatness of her turquoise eyes. He hadn't expected fireworks to go off in the background, or rose petals to shower down from the sky, but still. . . _That - did not go well. Did I frighten her? Anger her? Or is she trying to hide how repulsed she is?_

Before he could read anything more in her expression or eyes, Temari spun away. He saw how her hands trembled as she checked the tightness of her saddle's girth. The next instant she swung herself up into her saddle before Itachi could move to help her and gathered up the reins, effectively removing herself from his reach: physically as well as, from the expression on her face, emotionally. "I will see you in fourteen days, Lord Itachi. Thank you for the - nice week." Once more the remote sand princess, she offered him a polite, distant smile, then rode off to join Baki and Matsuri. They fell in on either side of her.

None of them looked back.

Itachi watched until the trio vanished around a bend in the road leading to Konoha's main gates. Sighing, he turned to head back to the house. Halfway across the deserted space of the courtyard, he realized someone was leaning in the doorway of the stairs leading up to the main terrace, watching him: Sasuke. He felt his face burn, wondering how much the younger man had seen. However as he drew even with his brother, Sasuke looked at him, an oddly wistful look in his black eyes, and said softly, "I wish I could believe what you do, Itachi; that I'll be able to _will_ myself into falling in love with Lady Hinata. Do you think I can?"

Itachi shrugged uncomfortably. "I suppose it depends on what you mean by 'falling in love.'" He cast a quick, involuntary glance over his shoulder. "Maybe at first we'll have to settle for just 'falling into like,' and pray to the ancestors better things will follow."

The brothers climbed the steps in silence. At the top Itachi tipped his head sideways toward a garden path leading away from the house. Sasuke nodded in agreement. Itachi didn't speak again until they reached a koi pond. "That's assuming, of course, everything goes according to plan." Sitting on the stone edge of the pool, he gazed at the varicolored fish crowding the water beneath his reflection, mouths breaking the surface, gaping in anticipation of treats that didn't come. An odd, lightheaded feeling swept through him as he stared into their empty black maws. For a dizzy, disoriented moment, he felt he was looking into his future.

"For Konoha's sake, it has to." Sasuke's voice pulled him out of his dark imagining. He tore his eyes away from the hypnotic churning of the koi to find his brother standing over him, staring down at him with a worried frown. "Itachi, are you okay?"

Itachi rubbed the heel of one hand against his forehead and got to his feet. "Just tired. It's been a long week." He forced a reassuring smile. "Maybe we should walk again, so I won't fall asleep on you."

"So are we still on for tomorrow morning?" Sasuke asked as they went down some shallow stone steps to a different level of the gardens. And when Itachi hesitated, "You aren't having second thoughts, are you?"

"Second, third, and fourth," Itachi said promptly, "about the arranged marriage part at least. But don't worry, I'll back you up as I promised." The path forked in front of them: one branch leading down to a small, mostly walled-in meditation garden, the other looping back toward the house. Sasuke paused to stare intently at a weeping cherry tree overhanging the entrance to the enclosure as he shoved his hands into his trouser pockets, obviously trying to decide whether to say something else. Making a guess at what it probably was, Itachi nudged him lightly with an elbow. "If you're trying to decide whether to tell me I was an idiot for kissing Temari, younger brother," he said in an attempt to help his brother out of his dilemma, "I'd figured that out on my own."

"If you want to call that a kiss. Not that I'm criticizing your technique or anything," he added hastily when Itachi lifted an eyebrow at him. He paused for a moment, then went on in a rush, "It's just- I've seen the way she's looked at you several times when she didn't know someone was watching. It's like she expects you to snap and go into attack mode, to go from holding her hand one moment to hitting her in the next. Add her short temper to her vaunted ability to take care of herself," Sasuke's eyes locked onto his with a deeply troubled expression, "and I can't help but wonder if _you're_ going to survive this marriage."

_Is that really true?_ Itachi blinked back at Sasuke, feeling shock cascade through him. Did Temari truly wonder if he was going to grow violent with her at some point? He felt strongly about abuse, and would _never_ consider - even for a moment! - hitting her, no matter how angry she made him. "But - I would _never_ hurt her!" he protested a little too loudly, still trying to fit his mind around his brother's words. Either Sasuke's imagination was running away with him, or he was far more observant than Itachi had given him credit for being.

"I know that," Sasuke responded instantly. "I'm sorry, older brother. Just - be _careful_ around her, okay?"

Touched even through this unanticipated worry, Itachi laid a brief hand on the younger man's shoulder. "I will be. Thanks for your concern, Sasuke. Now, if you don't mind, I need to think on this for a while..." Allowing his sentence to trail off, he turned to walk back the way they'd come, while Sasuke continued along the the way they'd been going.

Two weeks equaled an eternity. Itachi burned with the need to reassure Temari of her safety with him. He refused to allow himself to think of the living nightmare their future together would be if she flinched away every time he tried to touch her, even as he hoped the awful theory growing in his mind wasn't even remotely correct.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ Once again, I'm so sorry for another semi-late update (and that I seem to be making a habit of this!), but I really hope you liked this chapter, especially the NejiTen interaction! Thanks for reading, and see you next week!


	10. Meetings

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warning, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _DarkAnonymous324_, _Celtic-Memories_, _rao hyuga 18_, and _Glitterthorn_ for your amazing, heartfelt reviews - seriously, you have to be some of the most amazing people on earth, and appreciate you _so much_! Also thanks to everyone who's put this story on their favorite and alert lists, you all are amazing as well!

**Author's Note:** I am _so_ sorry for this late update! But there was illness in my family (nothing major, but enough to keep me from posting until today), something which I _hope_ will not prevent me from updating on time next week. I really hope this chapter was worth waiting for (more NejiTen interaction _and_ the plot thickens!), and thank you so much for reading!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter X~*<strong>

_~Meetings~_

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><p>It was about a half hour's walk from the Uchiha estate to police headquarters near the entrance to Konoha. Itachi and Sasuke set out together about midmorning on Monday, each wrapped in his own thoughts. As they traveled the familiar road, Itachi's mind drifted back to other journeys into the village, earlier journeys: stumping along holding his mother's hand, intent on taking <em>no more<em> than two steps per paving stone; walking beside Mikoto who carried the baby Sasuke (at the time he hadn't understood what all the fuss was about, a puppy would have been a much more exciting addition to the family in his opinion); the trips to and from Konoha Academy, by himself the first few years, then with his little brother tagging along and nagging constantly to be taught all the martial arts moves Itachi knew. . .

. . .The day Sasuke had ambushed him, dropping onto him from a tree, that absurd bamboo sword upraised. . .

Sasuke's voice jerked him back to the present. "Hey, Itachi, remember that time I was pretending to be _ronin_ and jumped you? I scared you so badly you actually knocked me out cold."

Goosebumps ran prickly fingers over Itachi's skin as he glanced over at Sasuke. The quiet, shady neighborhood they were passing through faded. _He remembered running, running, head and heart bursting with panic, Sasuke's limp body clutched to his chest, his little brother's head and limbs flopping loosely_. "I thought I'd killed you," he said very softly, his steps slowing. "You scared me so badly I could never bring myself to spar with you after that, for fear of hurting you again - especially after Father reamed me out for nearly committing fratricide. I'm sorry, I should have told you that years ago," he added, looking back at Sasuke, who had stopped walking altogether and was staring at him with a stunned expression. "I still have the occasional nightmare about it."

"I - I didn't-" Sasuke suddenly looked down at his feet as he resumed a steady, if slower, pace. "After the doctor left that day, Father sent Mother out of my room and - and pretty much ripped me a new one. He said I was seven different kinds of an idiot for doing such a thing, and-" Itachi saw him swallow painfully before meeting his eyes again, finishing in a near whisper, "I thought you wouldn't practice with me anymore because you agreed with him."

Itachi shook his head, his throat tight with sorrow and regret for the lost years of camaraderie they could have shared. "And I thought you stopped asking me to because you didn't trust me anymore. That you were afraid of me."

Sasuke's black eyes were like windows opening straight into his soul. "You're my big brother, Itachi," he said simply. "I could never be afraid of you." He turned his head in the direction of the headquarters building, its roof visible now over the intervening structures, a hard, fierce expression flitting across his face so quickly, Itachi wasn't sure if he'd really seen it or only imagined it. Certainly when the younger man looked back at him, his grin was pure mischief. "So when do you want to start working out together? Tomorrow too soon for you?"

Itachi breathed a laugh, a wave of healing sweeping through his heart, making it feel lighter, younger, than it had in a long, long time. "If you think you can take me, why certainly. What was that catchphrase your class was famous for? 'Bring it on.'"

The brothers continued on, the silence between them warm and companionable, their strides nearly matching as they entered the busy heart of Konoha. They didn't speak or stop again until the street opened out into the large open space between the sprawling, multi-level police headquarters complex and Konoha's main gates. Itachi drew a deep, steadying breath; heard Sasuke do the same next to him.

"Here we go," Itachi said. "First litmus test of Shikamaru's conjectures. Are you ready, Sasuke?"

"I'm ready," came the reply. Sasuke squared his shoulders. "So, let's do this."

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><p>In some tiny corner of his mind and heart, Itachi had managed to nurture a secret hope that somehow, <em>somehow<em> all this would prove to be a mistake, a misperception. One look at the expression on their father's face as he and Sasuke entered his office - a furtive uneasiness almost instantly concealed behind an emotionless mask - killed it. No doubts remained. All loyalty to Uchiha Fugaku as father, as clan leader, died as well. From that instant, Itachi resolved to oppose him with all his strength.

Sasuke went immediately on the attack. Bowing very low, he said, "Please forgive this unexpected visit, Father. I have learned much from observing my older brother's behavior over this past week, and have benefitted from his wise counsel. I confess my earlier actions were prompted by jealousy and boredom. I regret profoundly acting in a manner so unworthy of my clan, and beg to be allowed to redeem myself by service to it."

"Hn." Fugaku shot a sharp glance at Itachi. "Did _you_ put your little brother up to this, Itachi? Or did your mother ask you come here with him and try to smooth things over?"

"I am here," Itachi responded levelly, "because I am truly convinced of my younger brother's sincerity. Also to assure you of what I have already told him: I have no desire to take over as chief of Konoha's police force."

Fugaku snorted. "Well, it takes more than pretty speeches to earn the right to sit in _this_ chair. You've always been the sober-minded, responsible one, Itachi, and fully deserve the duties and responsibilities you've been allotted. Whereas you, Sasuke, have yet to demonstrate any appreciable maturity at all. And until you do, I'd just be wasting my time trying to train you."

Sasuke straightened. "Then perhaps this will convince you of my willingness to put my clan ahead of myself," he said with what Itachi approved as a very creditable imitation of his own cool manner. "Lord Hiashi has no sons to succeed him, having sired only the two daughters. Now, Itachi's marriage with Lady Temari of Suna will bring power to the Uchiha by making allies of the Sabaku." Itachi all but held his breath while thinking, _Careful, careful, now, my brother, don't rush it._ "However, if I were to marry Lady Hinata-" He delicately left the suggestion hanging in the air, leaving all its implications unspoken.

"So." Fugaku's tone dripped derision. But Itachi, watching his father while appearing to be indifferent, caught the swiftly damped gleam of speculation in those flat brown eyes. "What you're saying is since your brother is marrying the princess of the sand village, you think you should get the princess of the leaf."

Sasuke made a small, deprecatory gesture. "I merely suggest that the benefits of such an arrangement merit consideration."

Fugaku abruptly shifted his intimidating stare to Itachi. "And what's your assessment of your brother's idea, Itachi?"

Tipping his head slightly to one side as though weighing his words, Itachi took his time in replying. "If such a marriage were to be arranged, and an heir came of it, our clan would finally be equal in Konoha to the Hyuuga."

_There! That gleam again!_ Itachi fought down a shiver, forcing himself to stand impassively next to Sasuke enduring Fugaku's regard. When his father finally looked down at the screen of his computer, it was all he could do not to sag in relief.

"I'll take it under consideration," Fugaku said. "Now, you've wasted enough of my time. Out."

Itachi and Sasuke bowed before withdrawing from the office, even though Fugaku wasn't looking at them. As they made their way to the ground floor and the exit, fully aware that even the walls were probably listening in this bastion of their father's ambition, Itachi said, "Since we're in the village, I'll treat you to lunch at Akimichi's, younger brother."

For a brief instant, Sasuke's air of confidence wavered; but he managed to say calmly enough, "That would be very welcome, older brother. Thank you."

Ten minutes later, they entered the restaurant and were instantly hailed by Chouji, the son of the proprietor and another classmate of Sasuke's. As had been prearranged, the path to their table took them past where Shikamaru and Ino were sitting, dawdling over the remains of their meal. When they paused to exchange greetings with the couple, Itachi heard Sasuke murmur under his breath, "More later, but - it's on. Get in to see her as quickly as you can, Ino."

The blonde inclined her head in a quick, tense nod. "All right, I will!" she said brightly, as though confirming an order in her family's shop; but her blue eyes were fierce behind the tears brimming in them as she added in a hissed undertone, "And if she's hurt by _any_ of this I will _personally_ take my florist's shears to your-"

"Sorry we can't stay to chat longer," Shikamaru raised his voice as he clamped a hand around her wrist, "but Ino needs to get back to the shop before her dad comes looking for her. It's a drag, but there you have it." His intense, dark brown eyes, so opposite from his lazy manner, darted from Sasuke to Chouji before meeting Itachi's, who had stepped back to allow them to rise. He added in an undertone, "Akimichi's is our contact point, and Chouji is our conduit for messages." The heavyset young man dipped his head in silent agreement. "We'll get word to you once Ino gets back. Later, guys."

Once at their table, Sasuke drew a deep, shaky breath, suddenly looking young and vulnerable. "And so - it begins."

"It begins," Itachi agreed. _And may our ancestors watch over us all_.

* * *

><p>"I c-can't t-take this any m-more."<p>

Tenten looked up in surprise from where she sat against the wall across the room from the shouji opening onto the gardens. Ever since being told of her disastrous last encounter with Neji, Hinata had spent most of her time kneeling and gazing sightlessly out into the grounds of the estate, gently rejecting Tenten's efforts to coax her to sleep and making only brief visits to the necessary. Suffering her own agonies of guilt over causing such pain, Tenten wouldn't sleep either, instead keeping a quiet watch over her grieving mistress. Saturday night; all day Sunday; through Sunday night and into Monday: The time dragged miserably by, while Tenten thought any number of beatings would be better than _this_.

"My - my lady?" Tenten said hesitantly, unsure whether she should even have said that much.

She scrambled to her feet as Hinata rose and turned to look at her bodyguard, an expression of mingled dread and resolve on her delicately featured face. "I can't t-take this any more," she repeated. "I have b-been a c-coward, even if t-to protect m-my c-cousin. B-but no m-more. I have you n-now as g-go-between, and I w-will not rest until Neji b-believes I d-do not hate or f-fear him."

Fear, joy and pride in Hinata crashed together inside Tenten's chest, making her feel short of breath. "Of course I'll do whatever you tell me, Hinata, help you however I can! But what are you planning on doing?"

The heiress walked straight to her small study/library. "I am going t-to write Neji a letter. And then I am going t-to show you where t-to d-deliver it." She gave Tenten a sweet, sad smile as she seated herself at her desk. "It has b-been so many years, I had f-forgotten about our hiding place, our special refuge. He m-might not g-go there any more, either, b-but I have t-to at least try."

Half an hour later Tenten, still feeling dazed as well as torn over the wisdom of what they were doing, followed Hinata as she seemingly drifted aimlessly along the immaculately tended garden paths, each planting that caught her fancy leading farther and farther from the main house. Eventually they reached a secluded corner walled by very old, very big trees and fenced by a tangle of wild-looking shrubbery. Only a second, very careful look revealed to Tenten that the out-of-control appearance of the plantings was actually designed to give the impression of untamed growth.

Hinata paused for a moment, studying her surroundings before moving a few feet to the right and repeating the process. She did this twice more, and then indicated a narrow entryway leading toward the presumed interior.

"There's a v-very small gazebo in the center," she whispered to Tenten. "F-follow me." Moving much more quietly through the crowding bushes than Tenten would have expected, the heiress led her through the opening. The all but invisible path curved left, then back to the right, debouching suddenly on a small, thickly overhung clearing. In the center, all but obscured by a riot of climbing roses, stood the gazebo.

Hinata drew her letter from her obi and gave it to Tenten, her hand shaking so much she nearly dropped it. "If h-he is there, I w-will not stay, b-but will meet you in m-my rooms. Now, you know what t-to d-do."

Tenten nodded mutely. She walked resolutely toward the tiny building, Hinata hanging back now, following the faint track that led around one side of it. A break in the exuberantly twining roses gave entry to the dim inside. With a deep breath, she stepped into the gap.

He was there, springing to his feet and scrambling backward with a startled cry as her slender form blocked the strip of sunlight falling across him. Tenten immediately dropped to her knees, bowing until her chest nearly touched the tops of her thighs as she extended Hinata's letter to him with both hands.

"Please, Lord Neji," she said in as soft and nonthreatening a voice as she could summon. "Please read this letter your cousin has written to you."

"Is this some kind of a trick?" From the sound of his voice, Neji was only a heartbeat away from full-out panic. "Why won't you leave me alone? _Are you trying to get me killed?"_

Hinata's soft voice drifted into the gazebo from behind Tenten and to one side of the doorway where she knelt. "N-no, b-big b-brother. N-no trick. J-just p-please, read m-my letter, then send T-Tenten b-back t-to me." She gave an audible sob. "I am s-so s-sorry." And then Tenten heard her running away, light footsteps fading into silence.

Tenten peeped surreptitiously up through her bangs to see Neji standing rigid as a statue as he stared past her, his eyes glazed with shock. He looked alarmingly pale to her, his face beaded with perspiration. She bit her lip, knowing she had to find some way of snapping him out of his current state. And not just for his sake. Her neck and shoulders were beginning to cramp from the strain of holding her position, her arms starting to tremble ever so slightly as well.

The air inside the gazebo felt uncomfortably warm; heavy, too, with the monotonous droning of bees and the overwhelmingly sweet scent of the roses. "Please, my lord," she said as though coaxing a child, "take the letter, open it, read it."

She saw Neji shudder very hard as awareness flooded back into his eyes. He looked down at her. "Stop calling me that!" he said harshly. "I'm no 'lord' of yours, or of anyone else." Only eight feet or so separated them. Tenten held her breath and closed her eyes before drops of sweat could trickle into them, _willing_ him to come closer.

The folded sheet of paper resting on her palms didn't weigh even as much as one of the brilliant blooms wreathing the doorway; yet when it vanished it seemed she'd been relieved of twenty pounds, at least. She stifled a sigh of relief as she lowered her arms and eased into a sitting position. He'd already retreated to the limit of the space available, the Hyuuga eyes she still found disconcerting flicking from her to the letter and back again.

"So. Have you been ordered to stay and watch me read it?" he demanded, the merest hint of a challenge in his voice.

"Hinata just asks that you give your word that you _will _read it. Once you have, you'd probably best destroy it," Tenten replied, trying to sound matter-of-fact. But the look mingled terror and hope beginning to grow on his face went straight to her heart. Without deciding to do so, she rose to her feet and held her hand out to him. "You're not alone any more, Neji. I want to help you, and help Hinata too. More than anything else in my life-" Her voice broke.

Neji gave her a curious look before glancing down at Hinata's letter. "I still - don't know - if I believe this is anything other than a cruel joke - or a trap-" He swallowed hard and when he spoke again, his voice was barely above a whisper. "But you may tell your lady she has my word. I will read it. Now, you had better go back to her."

As Tenten made her swift, cautious way back to the house and Hinata's suite, she couldn't help but reflect in somewhat rueful amusement that for someone who denied any claim to lordship, Neji had sounded quite _regal_ in his dismissal of her. She even cherished it as a hopeful sign his spirit hadn't been utterly broken by the years of neglect since the tragedy. In fact, she could scarcely wait to share it with her mistress, who would surely be cheered by it.

She approached the verandah outside their rooms obliquely, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw the shouji stood wide open in their prearranged signal for _All clear._ With a light step and lighter heart she ascended the three steps, all but bouncing into the sitting room. "Hina," she began to say, "it's all-"

In the very next instant Tenten all but leaped across the room to where Hinata lay in an awkward sprawl on the tatami, her head cradled in the lap of a terrified-looking Ino. She dropped to her knees and reached for her mistress, feverishly checking her pulse and looking for any sign of injury or illness even as she demanded fiercely, "_Talk _to me, Ino! What has happened to my lady?"

The blonde swiped shaking hands over her wet cheeks. "Oh, I am so going to _kill_ those Uchiha boys! Shikamaru, too!" Then, taking in the look on Tenten's face, "No, no, no, nothing like that! It's just-" She gulped back a sob, obviously trying to steady herself. "I'm the only one who could come to Hina and tell her what to expect, so she'll be prepared when it happens. She's so shy, and gentle, and timid, I _couldn't_ let it just be -_sprung_ on her out of the blue! She needs to be _ready_-"

"Ino!" Tenten interrupted, feeling half ready to strangle the girl. "What is going on? Tell me!"

"Well, I'm _trying!_" Ino took a deep breath, then another, her hands twisting together. In a rushed whisper, she blurted out, "If Uchiha Fugaku has his way there's going to be civil war in Konoha as he tries to take control from the Hyuuga, and the only way we can see of stopping it is for Hinata to agree to an arranged marriage with Sasuke!"

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ Once more, a thousand pardons for this late update - there was illness in the family, nothing major, but enough to prevent me from updating yesterday. Hopefully there shall not be such delays for the next update! Until then, thank you all so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed, and have a happy Thanksgiving!


	11. Brothers

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _Glitterthorn_, _rao hyuga 18_, _DarkAnonymous324_, and _runjumpfly07_ for all your wonderful, thoughtful reviews! You all literally brighten my day whenever I read one of your reviews. And also thank you to everyone who's put this story on their favorie and alert lists!

**Author's Note:** A _really_ long chapter, this. And the first and the final scenes are some of my favorites in the _whole_ fic - I just love the emotions involved in each, and I really hope you all love them too. Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter XI~*<strong>

_~Brothers~_

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><p>"D-do you think he'll b-be there?" Hinata stood just inside the doors giving onto the verandah from her darkened sitting room. She stared out into the near-midnight dimness of the gardens, fingertips tapping together in a nerve-frazzling rhythm.<p>

"He'll be there," Tenten said with a confidence she was far from feeling. She finished fastening her sandal straps and straightened to look back at Hinata from the verandah; started to say something else; wound up just giving an awkward little shrug instead. Hinata nodded slightly in understanding.

The moon, waning down to its last quarter, gave just enough light for Tenten to identify the landmarks she needed to find the hidden gazebo again. Though leached of their vibrant daytime colors, the roses swathing the little structure still flooded the muggy air in the clearing with a nearly palpable fog of fragrance. Her senses swam for a few brief seconds, as though she were suddenly short of air: either from the onslaught of scent or from tense expectation. Fighting the urge to gasp for breath, she positioned herself in clear view of the gazebo's entrance, halfway between it and the living wall around it.

"Hello," she called, her voice barely above a whisper. "Lord Neji - are you there?" Deep inside her a beat of _pleasepleaseplease_ throbbed in time with her racing heartbeat.

A dark form stirred, detaching itself from the blackness; not of the interior but of the thick shadows thrown to one side of the building by the moonlight slipping into the clearing. "I _told_ you not to call me that," he said just as softly, halting after only a couple of steps and looking past her, his colorless eyes gleaming as white as the bandages above them. She saw he carried his left arm clamped across his diaphragm, his right elbow supported by it. His clenched right hand rested on his shoulder next to his neck.

"I know." Tenten bowed. "But - it's who you _are._"

A shudder ran the length of Neji's lean body. A frail thread of light shivered along the edge of something gripped in his fist, catching her eye. Tenten's breath rushed out of her in a horrified gasp as she realized he grasped a knife. Even as her mind frantically ran down multiple tracks of how to disarm him before he could cut his own throat, she saw his eyes briefly focus on her as if really seeing her, and wander past her again. "You really - are - alone," he said in a vague, dreamy tone.

"Yes, I am," she said very gently. Her heart wrenched in pity and, oddly, admiration as she realized why he seemed so detached. Having fully committed himself to dying, he now faced the unexpected choice of reconciling himself to living. From the stories her brother had told her, not everyone who had resolved on suicide was capable of making that difficult step back. She carefully took a step closer to him, another when he didn't react, and extended her hand. "_Please_ believe me. I came alone, Neji, just as Hinata's letter said I would."

His gaze returned to search her face, eyes locking onto hers with such intensity she felt as though looking away would be instantly fatal to him. Very slowly he lowered his right hand, the knife dropping from his loosening hold. He suddenly swayed. Tenten leapt forward and caught him as his knees wobbled under him. She heard him take in a great, gasping gulp of air as he continued to sag. His weight became too much for her, bearing her to her knees. As she braced them both as best she could his bandaged forehead drooped onto her shoulder, arhythmic shudders shaking him. It took a moment for her to realize he was silently sobbing.

Feeling close to tears herself Tenten wrapped her arms a little more tightly around Neji, her hold on him subtly shifting from bracing to embracing. She turned her head so she could rest her cheek against his mane of dark hair, her lips close to his ear. "It's okay, Neji, you're not alone any more," she whispered. "You are, as you have always been, Hinata's beloved big brother. It will take some time, but I promise you: Everything is going to be all right."

* * *

><p>Sharp hisses of controlled breathing, bare feet whispering across tatami, and flesh smacking flesh wove together, filling the <em>dojo<em> with an exhilerating, primal beat. Itachi and Sasuke glided apart for an instant, the former poised lightly on the balls of his feet, the latter bouncing slightly on his, both pairs of intense black eyes probing for an opening. Sasuke, with a final bounce, launched an attack. Itachi easily blocked, whirled, countered with a round kick that would have crushed Sasuke's skull had it connected. He stopped his foot so close to his brother's face the dark wing of hair hanging over his temple was tossed briefly by the breeze it generated.

"You're dead again," he said mildly, retracting his foot and setting it down with elegant precision.

Sasuke flopped onto the matting and collapsed backward. "Yeah. I noticed."

Itachi folded down into a crosslegged position next to him and rested his elbows on his knees. For a time neither man said anything else as they let their breathing and heartrates return to normal, the occasional crosscurrent of air from the wide open shouji brushing cooling fingers over their bare, sweaty torsos.

Finally Sasuke sighed and sat part of the way up, bracing himself with his hands on the mat behind him. "Too good, older brother," he said. "You are just too good."

"I don't know about that," Itachi replied. "You've just picked up some bad habits."

"Like wasting too much time and energy hopping around, and telegraphing my next move." Sasuke grimaced, adding in a lower voice, "I thought I'd taken care of that."

Itachi reached over to grab his brother's knee and give it a brief shake. "We've only been working out together again for less than two weeks. I've seen a huge improvement in your technique during that time."

"And now you're going to Suna." Sasuke stared fixedly at his own toes.

Itachi chuckled. "You make it sound as though I'm leaving Konoha forever. Sasuke, you've probably got more potential than I had at your age." His brother's astonished gaze snapped over to lock on his face. "If you really want to start living up to it, you need to train with Nobuo-sensei," he kept his tone matter-of-fact as he referred to their older cousin, the second-in-command of the Konoha police and chief of the elite special forces squad, "while I'm away."

The look on Sasuke's face turned to one of pure horror as he sat up straight. "_Nobuo- sensei!_ I, uh, I thought he was going to Suna with you."

"No, I'm taking Aoba and Raijin."

"Oh." Sasuke looked away. When he spoke again, Itachi could hear the effort he put into keeping his voice neutral. "Already talked to him about this, have you?"

"No. You're your own man now. It's your decision whether you take my advice or not."

Apparently unaware of what he was doing Sasuke pulled his legs under him to mirror Itachi's pose. "He despises me even more than Fa-" He broke off, flushing deeply as the unspoken name twisted in the air between them.

"Nobuo-sensei doesn't despise you, Sasuke," Itachi said firmly. "If you decide to go talk to him, though, I promise you he will respect you for it." He grinned faintly and tried for a lighter tone. "You've already bearded one dragon in his den, younger brother: Why not make it two for two?"

Sasuke slanted a look at him through his thick lashes. "Oh, but I never really considered _you_ a dragon, older brother," he murmured wickedly, making no attempt to dodge the shove that sent him tumbling over sideways. Tucking his hands beneath his head, he drew up his left leg and crossed the right one over it. "Okay, I'll do it. I suppose it won't matter if I'm in a full body cast when I meet Lady Hinata for the first time this weekend."

"That might not be such a bad thing. From what I've heard, the ladies can't resist a wounded warrior." Itachi glanced at the sunlight slanting onto the tatami. Getting to his feet and going to pick up the discarded jacket of his _gi_ he added, "I'm for the bath house. What about you?"

"I think I'll run through my _kata_ a couple more times. See you at dinner this evening."

* * *

><p>All Itachi had ever heard or read about Suna and its enclosing ring wall of natural rock failed to prepare him for his first sight of the real thing towering from the flat desert around it.<p>

"Do you see that dark line running up the face, Lord Itachi?" Aoba asked as the three of them reined their horses in from a gentle canter to a walk. "That fissure is the only way in or out of the village. When we get a little closer, we'll be able to see the defensive works carved into the cliffs on either side of it."

"Very impressive," Itachi agreed, not voicing the fact he also thought it very grim. Temari's words came back to him: ". . ._Suna isn't anything like Konoha. It's hot, dry, and mostly brown_. . ."

Baki, astride a dun horse, was waiting at the entrance to the narrow cleft when Itachi's party reached it. "Welcome to Suna, Lord Itachi," he said, a smile on the visible half of his face. Wheeling his mount around, he fell in next to Itachi while Aoba and Raijin brought up the rear and maintained a casual flow of small talk as he escorted them through the intimidating crack in the rock, then around the perimeter of the village to the Sabaku estate. Only the blue of the sky above them broke the pervasiveness _brown-ness_ closing in around them.

As Itachi politely responded to Baki's comments and questions, a knot of tension began to grow inside his chest the closer they got to their destination. Would Temari be there to welcome him? he wondered.

But when they entered the courtyard of the estate and dismounted, his betrothed was nowhere to be seen. Instead an older man - introduced as the steward of the Sabaku - greeted him and took him in charge, two lesser servants waiting to receive his baggage. Sealing his disappointment behind a polite facade, he allowed himself to be shown to the quarters prepared for him. As they traveled the halls of the main house, he marveled at how different the decor was from Konoha's. Instead of the generous use of bright color which along with many shouji and thinner walls created an atmosphere of open airiness, in Suna the dominating colors of browns, blacks, and dark reds, thick walls and small windows located near the ceiling made for a darker, more formal atmosphere.

Itachi's quiet assertion that he would do his own unpacking was, by the quickly stifled reactions of the Sabaku staff, evidently unexpected. "You should have ample time to refresh yourself from your journey, my lord," the steward said just before bowing himself out. "You are invited to dine this evening with Lady Temari and her brothers, Lord Gaara and Lord Kankuro. It is served sharply at six." His tone suggested that Itachi not be late. "I will send someone to guide you at the appropriate time."

"Thank you," Itachi said. Once he was alone he looked around his suite: different shades of brown predominated, accented with touches of dark burgundy and black. As he unpacked, he wondered if the morose atmosphere of the decor would seep into his dreams, which had been unsettling enough on their own the past two weeks. He kept hoping Temari would come by, but tried to stave off feelings of disappointment by telling himself it really wouldn't have been considered proper in Konoha either for an unmarried woman to drop by a gentleman's room.

After bathing off the grime of his journey Itachi carefully dressed in the five pieces of the formal three-_kamon_ kimono he'd had the foresight to pack: dark navy blue with pristine white undergarments and accessories. All he could do then was wait until the servant arrived at the appointed time to escort him to dinner.

Temari was already in the dining room when he arrived, conversing with a brunette man slightly taller than her and dressed in unrelieved black. She wore her customary deep purple; the long sleeveless vest and scarf she also wore, unique to Suna fashion, were both of lightweight, cream colored silk. Her unopened fan was tucked into her obi.

As if sensing his gaze, she turned to face him. A polite smile lifted the corners of her mouth as she drifted toward him and gracefully bowed. "Lord Itachi! I'm so glad you arrived safely. It's nice to see you again. You had a good journey from Konoha?" She lifted her turquoise eyes to his, their expression clear but distant.

Hiding how let down he felt by her welcome Itachi bowed in return. "Yes, thank you. It is wonderful to see you as well. I must tell you, although I've seen one so far on my way here, I agree that Suna sunsets are truly breathtaking."

Temari smiled again, angling her body sideways as she indicated the other man, who had come closer to them. "Itachi, this is my brother next to me in age, Sabaku Kankuro. Kankuro, this is my - betrothed, Uchiha Itachi." She stumbled over the words slightly, her cheeks flushing pink.

Kankuro bowed slightly. "I've heard a lot about you from my sister, but it's nice to finally meet you in person," he said.

"My lady told me about you, too. I'm glad to be able to put a face to the stories." Itachi returned the bow while wondering desperately, _Is the whole evening going to be this formal and stilted? Will the whole _week _be this way?_

But his spirits lightened when Kankuro suddenly grinned and lightly bumped his sister with a good-natured elbow. "I hope you only told him the _good_ things, big sister."

Rolling her eyes and obviously trying to keep from smiling, Temari pushed her brother away. "That's for me to know and you to find out when I blackmail you." Turning back to Itachi, she said, "My younger brother, Gaara, has been held up slightly by a meeting, but he should be here-"

"Immediately," a slightly raspy male voice finished. A tall, thin figure dressed in dark russet and black came into the room. Disconcerting light green eyes swept them all before finally settling on Itachi. "My apologies for being late." His lips only moved enough to form the words before settling back into a tight, unsmiling line.

Itachi immediately noticed the blood-red tattoo half-hidden by a stray lock of loose reddish-brown hair - the kanji for _love_ - before letting his gaze to drift down as he bowed, smiling slightly. "Not at all, my lord."

"This is my younger brother, Sabaku Gaara: The head of our family and our village." Respect, awe, and a touch of pride filled Temari's voice as she spoke. "Gaara, may I present Uchiha Itachi, your future brother by marriage."

Those unblinking sage green eyes met Itachi's dark ones unflinchingly, staring as if to uncover all of his thoughts with that one long, intense look. "Temari has spoken of you often," he said. "Welcome to Suna, Lord Itachi. I hope your stay will be pleasant."

As the four of them took their places around the table and silent retainers served the first course, Itachi keenly felt how far away he was from home. He missed his family, especially Sasuke. Since Gaara's arrival the briefly playful, easy atmosphere between Temari and Kankuro had vanished, replaced by a tense uneasiness. The first few minutes of the meal passed in uncomfortable silence. _Are things always like this when the siblings are together, or is it my presence that's causing this discomfort? _

At last, Kankuro cleared his throat and broke the silence, his voice loud and slightly jarring after the stillness. "So, Itachi, how long are you planning on staying?"

"A week only," Itachi replied. "As with Temari's visit to Konoha, clan duties do not permit a longer sojourn."

"Oh!" Kankuro lifted his chopsticks again and grinned. "Still, that should give me plenty of time to show you around." He winked. "Unless, of course, you plan to spend _all_ of your time with Temari."

Temari nearly choked on the drink of tea she'd just taken. Gaara's glower shifted into a glare, but Kankuro continued to grin, seeming unaffected by his siblings' reactions. Itachi felt his face grow slighty warm and cursed his blush, thinking, _He's more of a kid than Sasuke, I'm sure he didn't mean that the way it sounded!_ "I put my trust in all three of you to show me the best places in your village," he said diplomatically.

Kankuro lit up. "Great! I've _got_ to take you to see the puppet show! I designed or actually made most of them, you know, there's a story behind every single one-"

"Kankuro!" Temari's chopsticks suddenly clattered from her fingers onto her plate, and her brother winced a little. "Those puppets of yours are so childish. Lord Itachi outgrew such things a long time ago. And the way you treat them - like they're _real people_!" Her right hand shook as she lifted it to brush her forehead, as if to ease some pain. "Please, I simply can't deal with it this week," she whispered, seeming to be on the verge of tears.

Itachi's free hand curled into a fist in his lap as he resisted his instinctive impulse to reach out to her in concern, knowing from how tense she looked he'd only make it worse. His eyes flicked to Gaara, wondering how the silent sibling would react to the unexpected drama.

The leader of Suna sat clutching his chopsticks so tightly his knuckles showed white, his posture rigid. His eyes shifted uneasily from Kankuro to Temari and back again, before snapping over to meet Itachi's. He held the Uchiha's gaze for a long moment, then finally looked down at his own basically untouched dinner. "Excuse me," he said. Setting down his utensils with exacting care, he abruptly stood and left the table, exiting through the same door he'd entered.

Kankuro sighed and excused himself as well, taking off after his younger brother. That left Temari and Itachi alone, sitting side by side in the sudden, ear-ringing silence.

"I'm sorry," Itachi said cautiously at last. "I didn't meant to-"

"It wasn't you," Temari interrupted absently. Pushing her plate away, she avoided his gaze as she cradled her cup of tea. "I just... It's..." She trailed off, shaking her head helplessly, and stared sightlessly at the wall across from where they sat.

The few bites Itachi had eaten lay in his stomach like hot chunks of lead. "I never meant to cause you distress, milady. I will leave immediately to return home."

That got her attention. Temari turned toward him, turquiose eyes wide. "I said it wasn't you!" she protested. "Please, Itachi, there's no reason for you to leave. Unless, of course," she added in a low voice as she looked away and set down her cup, "you really want to go. I would understand." Standing, she took a few steps away from the table before pausing with her back to him.

Itachi left the table as well and went to stand behind her, keeping just out of her personal space. "Temari, please answer me one question, and I beg honesty," he said. "Is one of your brothers-" he paused briefly, wondering how to phrase such a delicate thing, but then decided that being honest would be best since he was asking the same of her "-abusing you? Hitting you?"

She flinched visibly, shoulders tightening. Her eyes darted toward the doorway through which Gaara and Kankuro had disappeared, then to the door across the room through which the servants entered and left. "Come with me," she said, voice heavy with something that sounded very much like defeat. "We cannot speak in private here."

Chafing with impatience while keeping his rising anger with her brothers tightly in check, Itachi followed his sand princess through halls he had not yet seen. She led him up a long twisting staircase, pushing open the heavy door at the top. Air thick with humidity and the mingled scents of damp earth and growing things flowed out to wrap around them. He blinked in surprise. They were in a small greenhouse, full to bursting with beautiful, lush greenery and hundreds of colorful flowers. It almost felt like a piece of Konoha had been transplanted to Suna.

Temari didn't so much as glance at any of the luxuriant plants. Instead, once she'd closed the door, she crossed straight to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the courtyard below, tension still singing in every line of her body. At last she let out a long sigh, shoulders slumping with the motion. "You're not going to let this go, are you?" she asked.

Itachi stepped closer so he could see her face, even if from only one side. "No," he said softly but firmly. "Despite the fact that our marriage is arranged, you are my affianced wife. It is my prerogative and privilege to protect you, to treat you with the utmost courtesy and respect even if love never enters into it. If you are being mistreated by anyone in any way, it stops _now_."

She turned to face him fully, chin up as she met his eyes squarely. "Then to answer your question bluntly," she said strongly, "no. Neither Kankuro _nor_ Gaara has ever raised their hand against me. They would never _ever_ consider doing so."

The aching worry in Itachi's chest eased a little, but Sasuke's observations refused to be so easily dismissed. Another, even more terrible, suspicion slithered into his mind. "Then I apologize for accusing your brothers unjustly. If," he saw her eyes turn wary, "you can honestly assure me there is nothing - wrong - that will affect our future together, I will never mention it again."

Temari gave him a long, flat stare. Itachi, long used to Fugaku's staredowns, returned her gaze imperturbably. A tiny crease appeared between her eyebrows. She glanced away. "I - can't do that," she said dully. "In all honesty-" her lips twisted "-you deserve to know." Folding her arms across her midriff, she went on, "For our father, Mother was always the single bright star in his universe. If not for her he would have ignored Kankuro and me completely. I was only his 'little girl,' Kankuro his 'little man' because Mother loved us and would not exclude us from her life. But then she became pregnant with Gaara, and something ... went terribly wrong. My little brother was born months prematurely, it's a miracle he didn't die. Mother - did die giving birth to him."

That horrible feeling suddenly got ten times worse. Itachi found he could barely breathe as he waited for Temari to continue.

"Mother's death caused Father to ... _snap._ Something in his mind just broke. He was never the same after that. He blamed Gaara for my mother's death. It made no difference to him that Gaara was a completely defenseless _tiny_ baby." She paused and took several rapid breaths before going on. "Father tried three times to kill him before he'd even come home from the _hospital._"

Itachi's hands unconsciously clenched into fists as he forced himself to stand still. He wanted nothing more than to go to her, to comfort her. But at the same time he sensed on some deep level that, now she'd begun the process, she needed to finish it on her own.

Temari fixed her eyes on a spot somewhere behind him. "As head of the village and according to the law he was within his rights. Fortunately the hospital staff had the courage to put their sacred oaths as healers above his sick desire for vengeance. The household guard, on the other hand- When we brought Gaara home, Kankuro and I agreed to do whatever we had to do to protect him. I was four, and Kankuro three, yet we _knew_ what Father wanted to do wasn't _right_."

Her voice broke as a great shudder ran from her head down to her feet. Once again, Itachi fought down the urge to stop her, to tell her she didn't need to relive any more of it. For she was very clearly back within that living nightmare, mentally if not physically.

"I still remember that night." Her voice came as from a distance, hard and tight as it was with unshed tears. "As well as keeping him with us throughout the day Kankuro and I always took turns sleeping with Gaara, caring for him and protecting him even into his toddler years. Every time Father tried to kill him, we - we threw ourselves between him and Gaara. He would stop and go away until the next attempt. But that night...

"Our rooms were on either side Gaara's, with a door between so either one of us could get there quickly just in case we were needed during the night. Kankuro was staying with Gaara because I was ill. His yelling wakened me; that, and the sound of Gaara crying. I leaped out of bed. I remember pulling the door off its track in my haste to get to them. Kankuro was crumpled up on the floor, whimpering in pain and terror - the blow that knocked him out of the way had also broken his jaw. Father stood over Gaara." Her voice began to shake. "Even after so many years, I _still_ can't forget the look on his face as he raised a knife over my little brother. Gaara was curled up in an impossibly tiny ball on his bed, clutching his battered old teddy bear. Crying, screaming, unable to understand _why-_ He was only four years old at the time."

Itachi's fists were so tight his fingers had gone numb, what he was hearing so immeasurably worse than anything he could ever have imagined.

"I ran across the room, trying to get between them so he would stop, but I was eight years old and my strength no match for his. He shrugged me off, shoving me all the way back across the room, but didn't really hurt me. I guess, deep down, I was still his little girl. I saw that knife begin to descend, and - and I knew there was nothing I could do, that I was about to see my baby brother die, right there in front of me."

_But Gaara is still alive,_ the thought wandered through Itachi's mind when she paused. _Who saved him?_

"My mother's brother, Yashamaru, lived with us at the time. He heard the commotion and came bursting in. _He_ stopped my father. In the fight that followed-" Temari lowered her head and squeezed her eyes shut. "They ended by killing each other.

"Gaara was left - deeply scarred emotionally: not just by what happened the night our father and uncle died, or all the other attempts, but by the belief that maybe he deserved it. He's always been exceptionally intelligent, and had to grow up much faster than he ever should have. It has taken years to bring him to where he is now. He's still slow to trust, and beyond awkward socially- But he's trying. Even with me and Kankuro, you can see him sometimes wondering if he's done something to make us turn on him, but - he is _trying _to move past it all."

She took a deep breath, let out it out again on a long quivering sigh. "Kankuro and I have our share of emotional scars, too. Those puppets of his - he uses them to escape into some fantasy world. And me- Ever since I was told about our marriage, I've been - afraid. _Beyond_ afraid, actually. My mother died in childbirth. The same thing could happen to me. And I'm terrified - if that does happen and my baby survives-" Her voice went higher and thinner, her words beginning to run together. "Father could _seem_ so nice, kind even, when it was just him and me, or him and Kankuro, trying to persuade us to leave Gaara alone. But we knew under the niceness, under the kindness, he still plotted Gaara's death. On the surface he seemed to be a perfect gentleman, just like _you_, and despite myself, I am just so afraid..." Her hands lifted to her face as though to block everything - including him - out.

Itachi's self-imposed stasis broke. He closed the distance between them in two long strides. Very gently grasping her shoulders, his own face wet now from tears, he turned her into his arms. She instantly went rigid within his hold, hands dropping to flatten against his chest as if to push him away. Her head came up, her eyes wide and filled with panic.

"Temari," he said very softly, very gently, "Temari," nothing more than her name as he _willed_ her to sense how much he desired to comfort her, to soothe her, to take away her fear. After a few moments, her gaze focused on him. An expression almost of wonder flitted through her eyes. She slowly relaxed, head falling onto his chest as she began to weep, finally allowing herself to release everything she'd held in for so many years. Her fingers curled into fists, knotting themselves into the fabric of his shirt. When her knees went out from under her, he let himself go down with her, absorbing the impact with his own body.

Consumed with a fierce tenderness unlike anything he'd ever known, Itachi curled himself around Temari protectively, cradling her on his lap as her shattering sobs eventually eased into hiccupping sniffles, then into the even breaths of utterly exhausted sleep. He knew clearly, as he held her within his sheltering arms, his cheek against her hair, the road ahead would still be far from easy. There would be setbacks as she worked through the healing process, learning to trust him as a man, as a husband, as a father. But he also knew he would do whatever it took to help her achieve that healing: Even if it tested his patience and self-control to the breaking point, and beyond.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ The first and last scenes are just so intense with the emotions involved, they're two of my favorites in the whole fic. I really hope you all enjoyed reading them, too. Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed, and see you for the next update!


	12. Heat

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _rao hyuga 18_, _DarkAnonymous324_, _Glitterthorn_, _Saphira113,_ and _Celtic-Memories_ for all your amazing, thoughtful reviews, and also to everyone who's put this story on your alert and favorite lists!

**Author's Note:** I'm _so_ sorry for the late update! This chapter (and Hiashi in particular) were both particularly ... _reticent_, and it took us a while to get them to cooperate again. Thank you all so, _so_ much for your patience, and for reading this story, and I hope this update was worth the wait!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter XII~*<strong>

_~Heat~_

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><p>Hinata took a long final look at herself in the mirror - lavender cropped leggings; short full skirt, its triple flounce alternating white-lavender-white; lavender and white hoodie over a lavender top with a softly draped neckline - and bit her lip.<p>

Ino's reflection suddenly appeared beside hers, making her jump. "Don't even _think_ about wearing something else, Hina," she said firmly.

Tenten's reflection appeared on her other side. "You know, I didn't really pay attention to what you were wearing the day we met. But Ino is absolutely right: That outfit looks like it was _made_ for you. It's adorable! Now then, Ino, what about her hair? Should we just leave it down?"

_What kind of hairstyle says "biddable little mouse?"_ The thought skittered through Hinata's mind, surprising her with its bitterness. As her two friends experimented with her long blue-black locks she squeezed her eyes shut against a sudden strong urge towards tears. She was only dimly aware of Ino and Tenten murmuring suggestions back and forth, of their busy hands gathering, flipping, twisting her hair this way and that. _It's only an attack of nerves,_ she told herself over and over. _I keep expecting Father to come in and rescind his permission for me to go into the village. Of course if he knew the reason we're going- _She shivered.

"Oh, Hina, I'm sorry, have we been hurting you? You've been an absolute angel, but I think we're finished." Ino's anxious voice and hands on her shoulders made her open her eyes again. She forced a smile.

"N-no, I'm just j-jittery." Hinata let her gaze wander back to the mirror and, "Oh!" she exclaimed as she saw her reflected image. Her hair had been parted in the back, then gathered into two loose, shining tails confined just below her ears by narrow lilac ribbons, flowing over her shoulders and down her chest. "I l-like it! Thank you!"

While Ino beamed with pleasure, Tenten briefly pressed her cold fingers. "It's going to be all right, Hinata," she said softly. "Ino and I will be with you the whole time. This visit to the village will be absolutely safe."

"It's n-not that." Hinata started tapping her index fingers together, not realizing what she was doing until she saw her mirrored self echoing the movement. Drawing a deep breath, she forced herself to stop. For so long she'd yearned to be able to go outside the compound walls, to be _free _even if just for a little while. She'd gotten her wish, but in such an unexpected way. How could she possibly find words to explain how utterly terrified she felt?

She staggered a little as Ino grabbed her in one of her impetuous hugs. "You absolutely _do not _have to go through with this, Hinata!" her friend whispered fiercely. "We can just go into Konoha, have a pleasant evening out, and _nothing more_!"

Oddly enough, Ino's very vehemence steadied Hinata's nerves. She gently pulled free and smiled mistily at the blonde. "Yes, I d-do," she said. "I _do_ have to g-go through with this - f-for Konoha. That's the whole p-point."

Ino looked ready to burst into tears for a moment, but quickly got herself under control. Resolutely putting her shoulders back, she nodded briskly. "All right. I said I would support you in every way possible. It's almost time for Shikamaru to get here, so," she tossed her long yellow ponytail, "let's go knock 'em dead!"

Even with Tenten to guard her, and Ino and Shikamaru as additional escorts, Lord Hiashi had flatly refused Hinata's suggestion that she simply walk to the village. The four young people rode in a horse-drawn litter, which Shikamaru remarked suited him just fine. As he settled himself comfortably beside Ino, he told the girls the exact number of steps it would save him since he'd be walking home after escorting them back to the Hyuuga estate.

"Oh, n-n-no, please, forgive m-me for not thinking of that!" Hinata exclaimed hurriedly, her cheeks growing warm. "I will be glad t-to tell the driver t-to take you home!"

Ino promptly smacked her boyfriend sharply on the arm. "Shikamaru! You _promised_ you would _behave_ youself!" she scolded. Smiling lazily, he looked at Hinata and closed one heavy-lidded brown eye in a wink. She hesitantly smiled back.

As they traversed the market district, Hinata felt like a tourist in her own village. She wanted so badly to jump from the litter so she could absorb through every pore the sights, the sounds, the very essence of Konoha. A hot wave of protectiveness swelled outward from her heart. This was _her_ village, _her_ people, their welfare and safety her entire reason for being. Though part of her still quailed at what she'd agreed to do, she resolved she would not fail in her duty to them - no matter what.

"Here we are!" Ino said brightly as the litter halted in front of Akimichi's. Tenten lithely slipped out first, scanning the area while Shikamaru assisted Hinata and Ino to alight. As they entered the establishment the owner, an extremely large man Hinata instantly thought had to be his restaurant's best advertisement, hastened forward to greet them.

"Ah, Lady Hinata!" he boomed, bowing deeply. "Welcome, welcome, a thousand times welcome, daughter of my old friend Lord Hiashi!"

A soft sighing murmur spread through the patrons, beginning with those nearest the door waiting to be seated and rippling deeper into the establishment. Fabric rustled as everyone within view also bowed, then straightened as Hinata bowed in return. Good manners prohibited open staring, but she still felt herself to be the target of many sidelong curious glances as she followed Akimichi Chouza to the semi-private alcove reserved for them. _Calm, calm, calm,_ she concentrated on the word like a mantra. _Just pretend you do this every day and stay calm_.

"You're doing great, Hina!" Ino whispered once they'd ordered.

Hinata nodded in acknowledgement while keeping her eyes down. "D-did you s-see if h-he is h-here?" she asked softly, dreading the answer.

"Not yet," Shikamaru replied just as softly. "We decided it would be better if he comes in later."

Thinking, _Better for whom?_ she nodded again as Tenten and Ino both gave her sympathetic looks.

The first course arrived. Hinata forced herself to act as though this was just another meal. In complimenting the presentation and flavors, she managed to get through it, and the second course as well. In the lull before the third, a shadow suddenly fell across the table. Beside her, she sensed Tenten going into a higher state of alertness as Ino and Shikamaru glanced up. Her heart immediately began to pound uncomfortably. Knowing that sliding under the table and throwing up was not an option, she somehow managed to look up as well.

A tall, smartly dressed woman with luxuriantly waving dark hair had stopped next to their table, a bearded man just behind her. They both bowed briefly, the woman saying in a low, rich voice, "Please forgive this intrusion, Lady Hinata. My name is Sarutobi Kurenai. Many years ago your mother was one of my closest friends." She smiled down at Hinata, her warm cinnamon eyes looking misty. "I just wanted to tell you: Seeing you is like seeing my dearest Hiromi again. I hope we will have the opportunity to meet sometime, and remember her together." With another sweet, sad smile she moved on, obviously not expecting Hinata to respond - for which mercy she was profoundly grateful, since she felt perilously close to tears again.

Behind her the man amiably nodded to Hinata before switching his attention to her dinner companions. "Ino," he said. "See you around, Shikamaru."

"Yeah, see you, Asuma." As soon as the couple were out of earshot, he flicked a sharp glance over her head and muttered, "Are you going to be okay, Lady Hinata? Because-"

Another shadow fell across the table.

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><p>Naruto roamed restlessly around the house. He paused briefly in the kitchen, trying to decide if he felt like eating anything; decided against it and wandered into the family room again; stopped to gaze out the big windows toward the center of Konoha. Shikamaru, Ino, Lady Hinata and her bodyguard should be getting to Akimichi's right about now. . .<p>

Part of him - a really big part, if he were perfectly honest - wished he could be there, too. But it was September third, and _this_ was where he needed to be.

For about the twentieth time that day his feet carried him over to a corner niche filled with framed photographs chronicling family events. He reached out to trace a sad finger down the frame of his parents' wedding portrait. Fifteen years ago today, not long before his fourth birthday, they'd been brutally murdered. To this day no one knew precisely why; though there was speculation that, since they'd been reporters for the _Konoha Daily_ when Old Man Sarutobi was in charge, it might have had something to do with their jobs. It remained a complete mystery, their killer or killers unknown.

Naruto heard heavy steps descend the staircase, then scuff tiredly across the family room floor. A moment later, his grandfather's arm landed on his shoulders.

"Is she asleep?" he asked softly without looking around.

"Finally." Jiraiya released his breath in a long sigh. "Fifteen years now, and still she can't forgive herself."

Though Naruto had a few hazy, confused memories of the horrible night his parents died, Jiraiya had told him about them when he got old enough to ask why it was always his grandfather who patched him up when he hurt himself, when his grandmother was an actual Healer. "She fought so hard to save them," he'd said, his body sagging with grief, his big hands gentle as he cleaned and bandaged Naruto's scraped knees. "Just as she would get one almost stabilized, the other would go into cardiac arrest and need her attention - she couldn't choose between them, you see - but they'd both already lost so much blood. Even your grandmother's skill couldn't repair all the damage. The sight of blood takes her back to that time, and she can't bear it. It's also why she drinks too much sake, especially on _that_ day every year. She's desperate to numb the pain."

And so things had gone until Naruto was eight or nine years old; he couldn't remember exactly which. He'd always seemed to be accident-prone, but on this particular occasion he'd outdone himself. Not only had he fallen out of a tree and broken his collarbone; he also managed to gash his calf to the bone on the jagged point of the limb that had broken under his weight. Jiraiya hadn't been home that day. Tsunade had heard his screams and come running, initially freezing when she saw him. He remembered being distantly sorry as his vision started to fade that his grandma would have to feel guilty for his death too. But Tsunade had somehow pulled herself together and saved her grandson's life. Shortly afterward, she had returned to Konoha's hospital and her work. . .

. . .Except for this one day, when she holed up in her and Jiraiya's room and drank herself into a stupor.

"Mom - was really beautiful, wasn't she?" Naruto asked wistfully, looking now at a photo of a very pregnant Kushina standing in front of Minato, laughing over her shoulder at him as he curved his hands over her distended belly.

"Almost as beautiful as your grandmother," Jiraiya agreed, his eyes on a snapshot of himself grinning hugely while hugging a laughing Tsunade from behind. "And you look more and more like your dad every passing day." He patted Naruto's shoulder and pulled him to his side in a brief hug. "Hungry?"

"I guess so."

Neither man said much beyond the necessary as they prepared and ate a light meal. Not until they'd cleaned up after themselves and Naruto started to leave the kitchen did his grandfather abruptly say, "Naruto-" and then break off, looking troubled.

"Yeah, Grandpa?" He turned back inquiringly.

His grandfather stared intently at him from under his thick silver brows. "Naruto," he said again, more slowly, "you know I'm the last descendant of the only Hyuuga-Uchiha union, don't you?"

Naruto's heart suddenly jerked and his breath caught in his throat. "Yeah, I think I've heard you mention it," he said, he hoped casually. "Why?"

"I want you to be careful. Linked as I am to both of Konoha's most powerful clans, I'm particularly sensitive to the present tension between them. Political marriages normally spell trouble, especially when it involves a powerful clan from another village. This alliance between Uchiha and Sabaku-" He shook his silver-maned head.

"You're saying it could cause a war in Konoha: a civil war between the Hyuuga and the Uchiha," Naruto said steadily.

Jiraiya's brows drew together. "More and more like your father every day," he muttered under his breath. "Aye, and your mother too." He raised his voice again. "Listen to me, boy. No need to get offended with me but you're still no more than a cub reporter at the _Daily_. I know you went to school with Uchiha Sasuke, and you had that interview with his older brother and his bride-to-be. But with things as uncertain as they are, this is _not_ something you want to be dragged into the middle of. Stay clear of it. I'm going to sit with your grandmother again." With a final sharp nod, the older man left Naruto, who soon heard him going back up the stairs.

"Too late, Grandpa." It was the blond's turn to mutter under his breath as he thought of the meeting even now taking place at Akimichi's and of what it was meant to promote. "I'm already in the middle of it."

* * *

><p>The expected summons came unexpectedly early the next day.<p>

After a breakfast Hinata barely touched, Tenten persuaded her to practice her shuriken-throwing. The first three throws went so badly astray, she made Hinata look her straight in the eyes before casting the fourth. "If you ever need to use these skills for real, Hina," she said firmly, "it will be in a high-pressure situation where you'll _have_ to be able to control your nerves. As Kakashi taught me, keeping your hand and your eye steady, no matter what is going on around you, is the literal difference between life and death. _Learn_ to control your mind and your emotions, and the rest will follow naturally."

When the brisk knock came on the suite's outer door, Tenten went to answer it, Hinata following as far as the sitting room. Returning a few moments later, she met the heiress's anxious eyes and said, "Lord Hiashi commands you to present yourself in his office immediately, even if, um, still in your nightclothes."

Sympathetically she watched Hinata clasp her hands together, drawing and releasing three deep breaths before saying, "F-fortunately I am n-not." She gave Tenten a shaky smile. "S-so, you were s-saying something about l-learning to c-control my n-nerves in high-pressure s-situations? D-does this qualify?"

They walked from the main house to the Tower in silence, Tenten's stomach trying to knot up in apprehension on Hinata's behalf. As on her only other visit, once they'd passed the guards at the outer door Lord Hiashi's assistant immediately and silently ushered them into the cold whiteness of the inner office. Time looped back to the day she'd first met Hinata and dizzily forward again as she dropped to her knees slightly behind and to one side of Hinata and echoed the other girl's bow. Straightening she saw a brown-haired, kindfaced man kneeling at right angles to the desk, midway between their position and the lefthand end of it. Her eyes sought further, to where her brother knelt watchfully.

The oppressive silence stretched out as before. "Hinata," the Hyuuga lord finally said, the icy snap in his voice even more pronounced, "it has come to my attention that Uchiha Sasuke visited your table at Akimichi's last night. Is this true?"

Unease raked tiny claws along Tenten's nerves. _Remember,_ she told herself, _he's obsessively paranoid, seeing threats everywhere and in everything. But Hinata has had to deal with him for years. She won't be tripped up so easily._

And indeed, Hinata serenely replied with no discernable hesitation, "Why, yes, F-Father, right after Sarutobi K-Kurenai and her husband p-paused to speak to us on their way out. Lord Sasuke is a f-former schoolmate of Ino and Shikamaru's, and was there to d-dine with another friend from their c-class. They b-both stopped at our t-table just l-long enough t-to exchange greetings and chat f-for a b-bit." Then, to her bodyguard's secret delight, the heiress ventured a small counterattack of her own. With perfect innocence, she inquired, "Should I have openly s-snubbed them, F-Father, by not returning their b-bows?"

_Nice touch, Hina, by not differentiating between Lord Sasuke and Kiba,_ Tenten thought admiringly, _and also linking them with the Sarutobi._

Hiashi's brows twitched together as he glared at his daughter. "No," he said abruptly. "It is the most frequented dining establishment in Konoha." Which, as Tenten knew, was precisely the reason Shikamaru had chosen it. "Insulting the Inuzuka in so public a forum would have been inadvisable." He finally indicated the unknown man. "This is Yamato Tenzou, who is here in his official capacity as negotiator. He has been sent by Uchiha Fugaku to suggest a marriage be arranged for his younger son, Sasuke, and you."

Tenten found it hard to breathe, even though she wasn't the focus of that oppressively icy regard. She tried to will silent support to Hinata, who managed to respond with only a natural degree of surprise, "In-d-deed? M-may I ask why h-he has d-done so, F-Father?"

Lord Hiashi's white eyes cut sharply to Yamato, who promptly spoke. "Lord Fugaku's greatest desire is to encourage peace and harmony within Konoha as well as between its two greatest clans. He proposes an alliance of those clans, in the persons of yourself, Lady Hinata, and Lord Sasuke as an excellent way to bring lasting stability to our village."

"_Hn._" Hiashi slapped a hand sharply on his desktop, giving Hinata no chance to speak. Tenten nearly jumped. "_I_," he said harshly, "take a different view of the matter. Having blatantly overstepped his bounds in so imprudently arranging a marriage for his elder son with Lady Temari of the Sabaku, he now acts in fear to avoid enduring the justified consequences of his rash action."

"Lord Fugaku deeply regrets this unfortunate and unintended misperception," Yamato countered calmly. "It is precisely to alleviate any tensions inadvertently caused by Lord Itachi and Lady Temari's wedding that he offers his younger son to be the consort of your heir, thereby reinforcing the precedence of Hyuuga over Uchiha."

"Which he does the very day after his younger son just _happens_ to stop at Lady Hinata's table during her first informal visit to the village." Hiashi's tone dripped derision.

"As you observed yourself, Lord Hiashi, Akimichi's is _the_ place to go in Konoha, especially in the evening." Yamato made a deprecating gesture. "The timing might be - unfortunate - but it truly was no more than a coincidence, a brief interaction among school friends. Lord Fugaku engaged my services nearly two weeks ago. Today's appointment was the first opening in your understandably busy schedule."

Hiashi's upper lip curled. "Uchiha Fugaku may consider his offspring to be no more than pawns to further his own ambitions," he said haughtily, "but I do not regard my own so lightly."

_Oh, that's rich, coming from you!_ Tenten practically had to bite her tongue to keep from blurting out that scathing observation, remembering Hinata's tears as she confided her fear of her father's plans to marry her to the lord of Suna. She prudently concentrated on following her own earlier instructions to her mistress on maintaining self-control in stressful situations.

"Lord Fugaku admits he allowed pride to sway him in consenting to the marriage," Yamato said in his imperturbable way. "It is a brilliant match, strengthening the ties between Konoha and Suna. But however great your personal displeasure, the betrothal is binding. It cannot be broken without seriously damaging, or even breaking, those ties."

"Uchiha's overweening pride will be the downfall of him and his clan," Hiashi said grimly. "For all his grandiose talk of peace and harmony, it is indisputably _not_ his place to make decisions that arbitrarily affect the well-being and stability of this village. I would be well within my rights as the leader of Konoha to have him tried for treason. Much good his 'brilliant' matchmaking will do him without his head."

Tenten's breath caught in horror. She snatched a quick glance at Hinata, knowing she also had to be thinking about Neji's father. How much more, she wondered, could her sensitive nature and overstrung nerves bear?

Yamato's expression turned extremely grave. "I earnestly hope you are not serious about pursuing such a course, Lord Hiashi. There is no question Lord Fugaku acted pridefully, even unwisely in this matter - he admits it himself - but to the ultimate benefit of Konoha after all. Initiating an accusation of treason against him would surely throw the village into turmoil, causing dissension and strife, and casting you, its leader, in an unfavorable light." He paused to let his words sink in. Hiashi's glare intensified to the point Tenten expected the negotiator to transform into solid ice. Apparently unmoved, though, he went on, "You are, of course, within your rights to reject Lord Fugaku's offer to restore balance to the situation by a union between your clans. However for the good of Konoha I urge you to refrain from compounding his error by also acting in unwise haste."

Both law and tradition proclaimed negotiators to be sacrosanct while in the performance of their duties, yet for a dreadful moment Tenten feared Lord Hiashi was hovering on the verge of striking Yamato down; or, even worse, ordering Kakashi to do so. The Hyuuga lord's nostrils flared once, twice, a third time. In a voice all the more terrifying for its frozen control he finally said, "Are you actually suggesting the best solution for this _situation_ is that I should emulate Uchiha Fugaku's insanity by throwing Lady Hinata into marriage with a boy she does not know?"

If Yamato sensed how close he'd come to death, he gave no outward sign of it. "No, my lord. As a compromise I do suggest a time of reflection; a cooling off period to give Lady Hinata and Lord Sasuke opportunity to become acquainted with each other. Even if no marriage ultimately results, Konoha - and her allies as well - still will be reassured that her two greatest noble clans will always act together in the village's best interests."

In the crackling silence that followed Hinata surprised everyone in the room by suddenly bowing low. "M-may I have your p-permission t-to respond, F-Father?" she said softly.

From the look on Lord Hiashi's face, Tenten thought sourly, you'd think his desk had just spoken. "You may," he said curtly.

"Th-thank you." Hinata sat back on her heels again and turned slightly toward Yamato. "As h-heiress of my c-clan, I learned from m-my honored father that we Hyuuga have n-no greater responsibility and p-privilege than serving Konoha. Out of the d-deep sense of d-duty I feel to my p-people, I would n-not be - averse - to b-becoming acquainted with L-Lord S-Sasuke."

Even as Lord Hiashi's expression turned thunderstruck, Yamato bowed very deeply to Hinata. "I applaud your wisdom in heeding Lord Hiashi's teachings, Lady Hinata," he said warmly. "I would expect no less from the noble daughter of a noble house."

Tenten saw a vein throbbing on either side of Hiashi's neck as well as over both temples. For a few seconds she entertained the uncharitable wish that he would just topple over from a stroke. However he managed to say with a creditable appearance of calm, "My daughter has been strictly reared in our traditions and is an ornament to our house. I am sure the Uchiha boy and his father can have no objections to Lady Hinata's bodyguard being present at all times?"

"None whatsoever, Lord Hiashi. All propriety will be observed." Yamato bowed to the village leader. "Konoha is truly fortunate among all other villages in its leadership."

Hiashi's blazingly white eyes flicked over Tenten and Hinata. "You will be informed of the details of your first meeting later. You are dismissed."

Tenten wanted to grab her friend and flee as fast as possible, but followed Hinata's demure and decorous example. As they stood to leave she allowed her eyes to drift in her brother's direction. To her equal surprise and disconcertment she found Kakashi steadily regarding her with _that_ look in his dark eye: the one he always used to tell her he _so_ knew she was up to something.

_What am I going to tell him? _she wondered in one part of her mind even as, once back in Hinata's suite, she dealt with her inevitable nervous collapse. _He is of Konoha. If I tell him the truth, will he feel compelled by honor and duty to tell Lord Hiashi what we're doing? _Tenten wanted to break down herself, having never had cause since he'd adopted her to doubt that he would always act for her protection and welfare. _Because if he does-_ She stared straight into the dismal, dreadful possibility. _If he does-_

_-We're all dead._

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ So, to reiterate from the author's note above: I'm _so_ sorry for the late update! This chapter (and Hiashi in particular) were both particularly ... _reticent_, and it took us a while to get them to cooperate again. Thank you again for your patience, I hope this update was worth the wait, and I'll see you next Wednesday!


	13. Discoveries

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _rao hyuga 18_, _DarkAnonymous324_, _PolkadottedAngels_, and _Myomi-chan_ for all of your wonderful, mind-blowing reviews! You all are seriously amazing. And also thanks to the people who are adding this story to their alerts and fave lists, I appreciate you all so much, too!

**Author's Note:** This is _definitely_ an important chapter. Lots of interesting things going on - and a big event, very important to the plot and future development of this story, is revealed. I'm really excited about it. And to those of you who wanted more Kakashi and Tenten interaction - the last scene in this chapter is for you! Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter XIII~*<strong>

_~Discoveries~_

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><p>Time passed. Itachi continued holding the sleeping Temari while thinking about everything she'd told him about her mother, her father, her brothers. Eventually the stillness of the garden and the gentle breathing of the woman in his arms lulled him into a kind of waking doze. The sound of the greenhouse's heavy door opening, however, roused him to instant alertness. Raising his head he saw Lord Gaara stepping through the portal and quietly closing it behind him. Temari's younger brother paused just inside for a moment as he absorbed the scene in front of him, then crossed half the distance between them and halted.<p>

His flat, hoarse voice - due, Itachi now knew, to his larynx being damaged in one of his father's attacks - was barely above a murmur when he spoke. "She's told you." It was a statement, not question. "Good. She'd made up her mind you had to know, but has nearly worried herself sick over the _how_ and the _when _of it." He lifted his gaze from his sister's face, locking it onto Itachi's eyes. "I expect you want to ask me something now. Go ahead. Ask your question."

Itachi's anger threatened to roil back to life. He took an extra moment to make sure he had himself well under control. "All right," he said just as quietly, "I will. _Why are you forcing your sister into this marriage?"_

The Suna lord's unnervingly light green eyes in their darkly shadowed sockets remained unblinking. "Because Temari deserves a life of her own away from me, away from Kankuro," he said. "And she'll never have that here in Suna. Yamato Tenzou spoke very highly of you during the marriage negotiations, Lord Itachi. I could tell even through his professional demeanor that he was sincere in his praise of you. It pleases me to see that he did not overestimate your suitability as a husband for my sister." Crossing the remainder of the distance separating them, he squatted in front of Itachi and extended his arms. "Let me have her, I'll take her to her room."

Itachi involuntarily swept Gaara's thin form with a quick, estimating glance. "If you will allow me the honor, Lord Gaara," he started to say, but stopped when the other man flicked him a look.

"I am stronger than I appear. You, however, look like you've been sitting here for a while. I am less likely to drop her than you are. Can you find your way back to your suite from here?"

"I believe so." Itachi leaned forward, his stiff muscles twinging in sharp protest as he carefully shifted Temari from his hold into her brother's. Her eyelids fluttered slightly during the exchange, but subsided once her head settled onto Gaara's shoulder. The young lord rose to his feet with no apparent effort. Itachi suppressed a grimace as he followed suit: How long, he wondered, _had_ he been cradling Temari on his lap? He went ahead to open the door for the sand siblings, parting company with them at the bottom of the stairs.

In his suite once more, he took his time bathing and preparing for bed, his thoughts still full of Temari's revelation as well as his encounter with Gaara. Uchiha Fugaku, he acknowledged ruefully, might not take any prizes in the parenting department, but at least he hadn't tried to kill either of his sons with his own hands.

After the humid atmosphere of the greenhouse and steamy warmth of the bath, the drier air of his bedroom felt uncomfortably chilly to Itachi. He hurried to slip beneath the covers, grateful for their puffy thickness which he'd found curious earlier. He expected to have some difficulty falling asleep, but his body had different plans. It seemed he'd barely settled into his usual position on his right side and closed his eyes, than he was opening them again onto bright sunlight falling through the round windows set just below the ceiling.

Itachi hurried through his morning ablutions, anxious to get downstairs and see Temari again. Not until he approached the doorway to the dining room did it occur to him that some awkwardness might attach to their first meeting after the previous night. He nearly froze in midstep as a thought suddenly blazed across his mind. Did Temari know it had been Gaara who returned her to her room? Or did she think _he_ had?

Well, he'd soon find out. He drew a quick, deep breath and crossed the threshold.

Only Temari and Kankuro were in the dining room when he entered. His eyes went straight to his betrothed even as he spoke a greeting to both of them. To his relief she met his gaze openly if a little shyly and smiled.

"Gaara has already eaten and gone for the day," she said. She lifted the teapot and poured a cup to give to him. "He told me the two of you talked - earlier."

Kankuro looked quickly from his sister to Itachi and back again. "Huh? You did? When did this happen? You two disappeared after dinner, and Gaara said he'd brought some documents home he needed to work on, so I went down to the shop. What're you talking about, Sis?"

"About nothing that concerns you, _nosy_ little brother." Temari tipped her chin up archly, but a smile gleamed her turquoise eyes.

Kankuro shrugged in good-humored resignation. "Oh, well, if that's the way you want to be-"

Itachi contented himself with sitting quietly as he ate breakfast, listening to Temari and Kankuro's playful give and take. The sound of her laughter, freer and happier than he'd ever heard, wrapped warm tendrils around his heart. _This,_ he thought, _is what Gaara meant. This is how she's supposed to be._

After they'd finished the last of the tea, Kankuro leaned toward Itachi slightly and said, "So what are your plans for today? I'd be glad to take you down to show you-"

"Oh no you don't, Kankuro," Temari interrupted firmly. "In case you've forgotten, Itachi is here to see _me_. That means I have dibs on showing Suna to him first. Right, Itachi?"

"I am yours to command, my lady," Itachi replied instantly. Kankuro groaned and rolled his eyes, reminding him intensely of Sasuke even though the two looked nothing alike. "In fact, I'm very eager for you to show me your village, as I showed mine to you. I'm ready to leave this moment, if you are."

Turquoise eyes and brown raked over him. Temari and Kankuro emphatically exclaimed in chorus, "Oh, no, you aren't!"

Itachi looked back at them in some startlement. Kankuro was grinning broadly, while Temari's expression was much more serious. "You're dressed for Konoha, Itachi," she said earnestly, "not Suna. If you went out as you are now, we'd be carrying you back on a stretcher. There's a practical reason we wear the loosely fitting robes we do. And one of the first things to remember is never, _ever_ go out in the day with your head uncovered. I'm eager to show Suna to you - but not until after you're properly dressed for our climate."

Kankuro stood up. "C'mon, Itachi," he said. "I'll get you rigged out with what you need."

Before long, Itachi was walking alongside his sand princess through the village. "Even though it's late summer, these are some of the hottest days in Suna," she told him. "Oh, sure, you _can_ go out during the hours of high daylight. You won't automatically shrivel up and drop dead. It's just wiser not to unless it's essential. That's why Suna has several different marketplaces, rather than a larger, more centralized one like Konoha's. We know it's better not to go farther than absolutely necessary." She gestured ahead. "There are shelters set up all throughout the village, not only to give relief to people with business in the market district but also for safety if a sandstorm should suddenly sweep in from the deep desert. Usually we have enough warning that everyone knows to stay home, but not always. It's good practice to give the desert extra respect, rather than tempting it to do its worst."

Itachi didn't much care where they went or what they did, just so long as he did it with Temari. "Sandstorms," he repeated thoughtfully. "Are they the reason your buildings are all rounded, even the rooftops? To lessen wind resistance and prevent the sand from accumulating and caving in the roofs?"

Temari looked pleased by his observation. "Yes, exactly. We've learned how to cope and minimize damage. Fortunately we don't get the really devastating, monster storms very often; the last one occurred two or three generations back. When they come, though, they're called _shukaku_: demons of the sand."

By this time they'd entered the marketplace closest to the Sabaku domicile. Itachi immediately noticed how the people of Suna seemed inclined to get straight down to business rather than exchanging pleasantries and small talk first. Fortunately the layout was very similar to his own village's, with vendors of similar wares clustered together into districts. Having paid attention to what interested and disinterested Temari in Konoha, Itachi skipped over the stalls selling jewelry, steering them inconspicuously toward those with scarves, fans, and bags. Over her protests he bought her a dark purple scarf, its silken length delicately shot with gold and light as breath, because it reminded him of the kimono she'd worn the night before. He also insisted on getting a fan to go along with it: the same shade of purple in a heavier silk figured with lighter colored sprays of small flowers and mounted on beautifully carved ivory sticks.

Temari laughed as she accepted it, thoughtfully weighing it in her hand as she eyed his head. "At least it should help me knock some sense into you if you try to go on being extravagant," she said.

Itachi held out his hand. "In that case," he said with mock gravity, "perhaps I should carry it for you. After all, I wouldn't want to tempt you do something I might regret later." When she declined his offer by shaking her head and mischievously holding the fan behind her back he smiled warmly at her, encouraged into hoping that her teasing meant she was starting to feel more natural and comfortable with him.

Two days later, as they were just finishing lunch at Suna's equivalent to Konoha's Ichiraku ramen, a sudden, sharp hooting pulsed through the air. Itachi looked up, startled, trying to discern the source of the sound. "What-?"

Temari had already slid off her stool. She quickly placed some money on the counter, other customers on either side of them doing the same, then caught his wrist in a light hold. "Sandstorm alarm," she said, briskly drawing him toward the entrance of the little eatery. Behind them, the owner had already started closing up shop. She cocked her head as another hoot assaulted his ears. "From the timing, we'll be able to get home if we don't dawdle. Wait a second." After a rapid glance outside, she turned to face him and reached up to adjust his headcovering until it stuck out beyond his eyebrows, then pulled some of the scarf wound around his neck over his mouth and nose. She did the same for herself. "In case the lighter dust bands get here before we make it home," she explained.

All around them Itachi saw the market district shutting down with practiced efficiency, the area already all but empty of shoppers. A high-pitched keening could be heard between blasts of the alert and seemed to chase them along the vacant streets as the daylight slowly went from eye-hurtingly bright to brownish dimness. Just before they got to the lane leading to the Sabaku estate an itching, tickling sensation began worming its way through the tiny creases in Itachi's clothing, adding to the discomfort of the dry air entering and leaving his airways, the pounding of his head and heart.

They passed the gateway into the courtyard. Two robed figures stood just outside the door to the house. Temari reached back to snag Itachi's hand; they put on a final spurt of speed; one waiting figure swung open the door just enough for all of them to squeeze through. As soon as the last one was clear, the taller of the two slammed it and sealed it behind them, then unveiled as his companion did the same. Itachi recognized Kankuro and the mousy little woman who had accomanied Temari to Konoha.

Temari ripped aside the fabric protecting her face and took a swift step toward her younger brother. "Gaara?" she said sharply.

"Safe in Suna Tower," he hastily assured her, "which is built and provisioned to withstand a lot worse than this promises to be. Baki is with him, along with all the emergency staff. He'll be fine, Sis."

The other woman approached Temari. "You know Lord Gaara will fret less if he's where he can continue seeing to Suna's welfare," she said calmingly. "Now come, my lady, and bathe as quickly as possible."

Itachi gently pressed Temari's fingers, which were still twined with his. She looked around in surprise. "Is there anything I can do, Temari?" he asked quietly.

"Thank you, Itachi, but Matsuri is right. Suna Tower is designed to survive even the largest _shukaku_ the desert can throw our way." She very lightly pressed his fingers in return before withdrawing her hand. "She's also correct in saying we need to bathe and change clothes as soon as we can. The dust can rub raw places unbelievably fast if left on skin. I'll see you at dinner."

The sandstorm, while not as serious as a dreaded demon of the sand, lasted a day and a half. During that time, while Temari was consulting with household staff about the best use of their resources, Kankuro took Itachi to the shop where he built his puppets. Not knowing what to expect, especially after what Temari had told him, Itachi steeled himself to display the necessary enthusiasm and wished he were still with his betrothed.

Clean smells of wood, paint and stains flowed out from the dark interior after Temari's brother opened the door. But instead of crudely fashioned puppets constructed in a rough and makeshift workshop, when Kankuro put on the lights Itachi saw a clean, spacious area equipped with the very finest of modern tools, as well as others that appeared so old as to be antique but lovingly maintained. Finished puppets, superbly crafted in incredibly lifelike detail, rested in glass-fronted cupboards against one wall; while others in varying states of completion patiently sat on shelves over worktables awaiting their creator's return.

Itachi's breath went out of him in a whoosh. "This - is truly amazing, Kankuro," he said as he looked around. "You are a _very_ gifted artist! I've never seen their equal, not even in the shows the monks stage during festivals in Konoha!"

The other man blushed and looked pleased. "You probably recognize some of them from old myths and legends," he said, pointing out several in quick succession. "But others I've made to-" he paused and looked down in apparent embarrassment before finishing in a rush, "-to be characters in the plays _I_ write. I go down to the children's ward at the hospital a couple of times a month, you see, as well as to the foundlings hospice. I like to think it gives them something else to think about other than the sadness of their lives - at least for a while."

Another deep stab of shame went through Itachi as Kankuro gave him what he called the deluxe guided tour. _And I once suspected him of abusing Temari, when he's taken the pain of his own childhood and turned it into something to relieve the pain of others!_

He didn't realize how much time had passed until Temari came looking for them at dinnertime. Now he was coming to know her better, he heard the pride beneath her scolding of Kankuro for "boring" on about his "boring old" hobby.

The "all-clear" sounding early the next morning woke Itachi. He lay for a long moment even after puzzling out what the rhythmic reverberations of a gong meant, feeling oddly averse to rising. As the shivering echoes faded, and the light coming through highset windows turned from grey to rose to gold, he finally talked himself into sitting up and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

Instant pain zinged inside the right side of his skull, making him double over with a stifled groan and clap a hand to the afflicted part of his head. _Migraine!_ he thought grimly. _Shouldn't've spent so much time in Kankuro's shop with all those fumes yesterday, but it was _so_ fascinating. Need to take something for it even before breakfast._

All during the process of bathing and dressing he continued to anticipate relief from the intensifying pain; relief that didn't come. He nearly left his hair loose, but forced himself to pull it back into its usual tail. _Just man up, Itachi. This won't be the first time you've had to tough it out like nothing's wrong, and it won't be the last._

The food odors rolling out to meet him before he even got to the dining room were nearly enough to send him scrambling back to his rooms. Concentrating on breathing as shallowly as he could he went inside, where Temari and Kankuro were already discussing the all-clear and the latter's imminent departure to meet Lord Gaara at Suna Tower to help oversee cleanup operations. While Temari went with him to the front door, Itachi rested his elbow on the table and cradled his forehead in the cup of his hand. If only it wasn't so _hot_. The bright sunlight beating through the small round windows under the ceiling made him feel like a piece of meat on the grill at Akimichi's.

"Itachi, what's wrong?"

He jumped when Temari's hand gently landed on his shoulder. Rapidly sitting upright again, he swayed as the room tilted unsteadily around him. It took every last shred of his strength to focus on Temari's worried teal eyes. "Wha-?" he slurred. _What's the matter with me? I sound like I'm drunk!_

Forehead wrinkling, Temari lifted her left hand to his forehead. "You're burning with fever," she accused. "I'm getting you back to bed."

"No," he tried to protest, but Temari ignored him. Sliding his arm around her shoulders, she secured hers around his waist, holding his wobbling footsteps steady as she guided him through the house to his room with surprising dexterity, especially considering he stood least six inches taller and outweighed her by close to a hundred pounds. She opened the door to his suite and maneuvered him through it.

He heard her breath coming harder and tried with everything he had to stand away from her; but "Stop that!" she snapped. "We're almost there." And indeed, it seemed only a heartbeat later that she eased him down onto his bed. He wanted to apologize for inconveniencing her, explain that it was just one of his stupid old sick headaches, but couldn't seem to get the words from his mind to his mouth. She brushed her hand across his forehead again, then shook her head as she straightened. "That's it. I'm sending Matsuri to get Granny Chiyo."

"Who?" Itachi rasped cautiously.

"She's the best healer in Suna." Temari rustled away; paused at the doorway and turned around, brows pulled down in a scowl over her narrow, steel-sharp eyes. "You'd better still be _right there_ when I come back, Itachi," she said dangerously, then shut the door behind her.

Itachi covered his eyes with his forearms to block the light, willing the pills he'd already taken to take effect. Far from dulling the pain and nausea, however, it felt as though they were stuck in his throat and making matters worse. Maybe if he got a drink of water- Clenching his teeth he pushed himself to a seated position, then stood up...

...Only to fall promptly on his face. Scrambling to his hands and knees he grabbed desperately for the trash can sitting next to his bed and proceeded to be thoroughly and violently sick.

What happened next made his blood run cold through his shaking limbs.

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><p>Once news of the UchihaSabaku marriage erupted, family dinners in the Hyuuga household had mostly gone by the wayside; which meant Tenten and Hinata had gotten used to having their meals in the privacy of the latter's suite, although the former secretly mourned the lost time with her brother. After the nerve-shattering interview with Lord Hiashi, Tenten mourned instead over feeling secretly relieved she would not have to face Kakashi in private.

That changed the very next afternoon, when a servant arrived to inform Hinata she would be dining with her father and sister at the usual time.

Alone again, the two girls stared at each other in consternation, Tenten feeling every bit as pale as Hinata looked. "At l-least we're only going to b-be t-t-terrified for a few hours instead of s-several d-days," the heiress finally said with a wan smile.

Tenten made herself smile back, even though her lips felt numb. "We don't have any reason to be terrified at all," she said, adding daringly, "It's just another awkward family dinner for you-" Hinata giggled nervously, "-and time for me to catch up with my big brother."

Hinata reached out to squeeze her hands impulsively. "I'm sorry, Tenten. I am b-being so selfish. Of c-course you miss being with K-Kakashi." She giggled again, this time with a forlorn undertone. "I'll think of how much f-fun you're having with your brother during my d-deadly d-dull meal."

Tenten felt like she'd swallowed a very, very large chunk of ice, which still hadn't melted by the time she made her way to the kitchen.

Kakashi arrived less than five minutes after Tenten and settled across from her with a huge sigh. "Whew, Panda! It has been a while!" He waited until one of the kitchen staff placed a series of dishes between them, then pulled down his mask and picked up his chopsticks. "Lady Hinata doing all right today?"

"Yes, though last night was rough." As she'd done so often before Tenten lifted the teapot to fill their cups.

"Hn."

Tenten's hands suddenly jerked, sending a jet of hot tea into the bowl of rice. _"Don't say that!"_ she hissed fiercely. "Just - _don't_ - say that!" All but dropping the pot onto the table, she clenched her hands together in her lap.

"Excuse me?" Kakashi reached across the table to tip up Tenten's chin until she was looking him in the eye. "You want to tell me what's going on, Tenten?"

_I can't, big brother. For the first time I _can't_ be completely honest with you, and it's tearing at my heart._ To keep herself from blurting out those words, Tenten asked in a rush, "How do you _stand_ it, big brother? How do you keep your sanity cooped up day after day with that - _dreadful_ - man? The way he treats people, his own _daughter_-"

Not until his thumb swiped across her cheek did she realize tears were overflowing from her eyes. "Sh-sh, Panda, you must seem outwardly calm," Kakashi whispered. He pulled back his hand. "Drink your tea and listen to me. Lord Hiashi hasn't always been this way. But sometimes things happen in people's lives they never get over. Young as you are, that might be difficult for you to understand or accept: even given the fact of your own personal history. For now, can you leave it at that, and not let your personal feelings affect your job?"

Tenten nodded slowly. "Yes," she whispered in return, thinking, _For Hina's sake, I have to_.

They ate in silence for a while, Tenten mostly just nibbling at her food. Kakashi stood and leaned over to flick her buns as usual. Except this time when he leaned in to kiss the top of her head, he whispered so softly she barely made out the words, "You need to stay with Lady Hinata during the night, Panda Bear, and not go on solitary walks through the gardens." He tugged his mask back into place and was gone.

The chunk of ice in Tenten's stomach swelled to fill her throat. _B-but how-? And if he knows I was outside the house the other night: What else does he know?_

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ Um - please don't kill me? I know a _lot_ of things happened this chapter, but the next one will bring answers to at least a few of the questions and events raised here. Thank you all so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed, and see you next update!


	14. Diversions

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _rao hyuga 18_, _Blood Soaked Redemption_, _DarkAnonymous324_, _Celtic-Memories_, _PolkadottedAngels_, _Glitterthorn_, and _Metoochocolate_ for making chapter thirteen the most reviewd yet - you all are nothing short of amazing! And, as usual, a special thanks goes out to everyone who is reading and who has favorited and alerted this story.

**Author's Note:** Not a lot to say about this chapter at the beginning, really. Just that I can promise you a _lot_ of NejiTen interaction as a reward for all your patience waiting for them to get more time in the spotlight again. I can promise a lot more fun and interesting things coming on that part of the story development in the future, too... In the meantime, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter XIV~*<strong>

_~Diversions~_

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><p>"T-Tenten, calm d-down. It's all right." In a complete reversal of roles from the previous day, Hinata clasped Tenten's shaking hands comfortingly. "He said '<em>solitary<em> walks,' d-didn't he?"

"Yes. Yes he did." Tenten closed her eyes, willing her breathing and heartrate to slow. She opened them again to look at her friend, a sheepish grin tugging the corners of her mouth. "Sorry, Hina. I guess my guilty conscience made me panic. He saw me without you, and worried I might be getting lazy about my responsibilities. After all, we've only been here, what? A month? Who could I possibly know to make me risk sneaking out at night to meet?" _Other than Neji,_ a very small voice whispered very deep inside her.

"Perhaps one of the g-guardsmen whose offer for your hand K-Kakashi had to t-turn down?" Hinata suggested teasingly. Tenten covered her face with a exaggerated shudder of horror; the two collapsed into a fit of giggling.

"It threw me so off balance finding out Kakashi saw me the other night, I haven't asked how your dinner went," Tenten said once they'd recovered their composure.

"Oh, well, um." Hinata dropped her gaze to her fingers as they began their nervous tapping. "There is g-going to be a fair in the v-village this weekend. F-Father informed me Ino has invited us t-to be her houseguests d-during it."

"And Lord Hiashi actually said you could _go_?" Tenten gasped in shock; then quickly covered her mouth with both hands and added, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to _say_ that!"

The heiress breathed a shaky laugh. "You only s-said what I thought! Our," she took a deep breath and finished in a rush, "that is, Ino's and m-my escorts are to b-be Shikamaru and L-Lord S-Sasuke."

This time Tenten managed to keep her caustic response behind her teeth, instead saying cheerfully, "This should be a lot of fun, then: Your first sleepover at Ino's _plus_ your first-ever time attending a fair."

"Yes, I suppose," Hinata agreed with a complete lack of enthusiasm. "But Tenten," she went on with a deeply troubled look, "what are we going to d-do about N-Neji? It would b-be too c-cruel to abandon him again to isolation and l-loneliness. B-but we _are_ p-putting his life in worse jeopardy by defying F-Father's b-ban on having any c-contact with him. Do you think your brother will b-be keeping an eye on you to m-make sure you obey him? If he sees you in the g-garden alone again-"

"He's never had any reason not to trust me," Tenten tried to ignore the dreary feeling trying to clamp over her heart, "so I don't expect he will actively spy on me. Anyway it would be hard for him to since he's busy most of the time guarding your father. It had to've been just bad luck he happened to look out and see me when he did."

"Dreadfully b-bad luck." Hinata absently nibbled her lower lip for a moment. "Did you arrange another m-meeting?"

"Yes, midnight at next moon dark," Tenten replied. "And I promise I'll be so careful when I go the moths won't even know I'm there."

"N-no. You are not g-going again at night so soon after K-Kakashi saw you." Hinata's voice, though soft, was resolute, even as she blinked back tears. She turned her head to gaze out the shouji, open as usual. She looked at Tenten again. "Even though I really d-don't want him to hear of my c-courtship," she nearly choked on the word, "only from servants' g-gossip either."

Tenten felt her spirits sink even lower at the thought of not seeing Neji as planned. She bit her lip, then felt her heart jerk in excitement as something else occurred to her. "Maybe there's another way, though. Neji told me his schedule, which areas of the gardens he always works in on which day of the week. Kakashi spends his days at the tower with Lord Hiashi, so we won't have to worry about him seeing me. If you can cover for me here again-"

"We will d-do as we did when I took you to the g-gazebo." Hinata's lilac-tinged eyes gleamed with enthusiasm. "You and I are g-going to take a l-leisurely, appreciative stroll around the garden t-tomorrow morning, right after breakfast."

Later that night as she waited for sleep to come, Tenten's nerves kept fluttering with a mix of anticipation and apprehension. Strangely drawn as she felt to the young Hyuuga, the hours couldn't pass quickly enough until she saw him again; yet at the same time she dreaded whether he'd be withdrawn and sullen, as when she'd first met him. After all, so many years of solitude and neglect could not be swept away or healed overnight, no matter how she yearned for it to be so. . .

The next morning provided Tenten with a perfect opportunity to practice displaying outer calm while internally seething with impatience. She wanted nothing more than to strike out directly to where Neji would be working, like one of her knives flying true to the center of its target, even though she knew doing so would be utterly foolhardy. Instead she schooled herself to follow Hinata who, in order to further her intention of portraying a high-clan lady bent on a morning of leisure, carried a small silk-tasseled scroll of poems into the dew-glistening gardens.

Stopping first by a fountain, Hinata waited while Tenten, with a perfectly straight face, quickly dried a place on its rim for her mistress to sit. The heiress gracefully disposed herself on the basin's stony edge and started to read the opening lines of the first poem; then decided the water made too much noise for her to continue in that location. The second spot she chose she proclaimed too shady, and the third too sunny; while the fourth smelled too strongly of some flower neither girl could identify. By such degrees did they finally arrive at a very small, slightly sunken meditation garden consisting of moss-wisped chunks of granite standing starkly up from gravel that had been carefully raked into sweeping swirls around them.

Hinata sank down onto a two-person bench overlooking the garden. Unrolling her scroll again, she murmured under the pretext of reading aloud, "We can't b-be seen here from the house, but I think this is as c-close as I dare g-get." She flashed her eyes briefly up to Tenten's as she tipped her head toward the trees overhanging the far side of the graveled space. "Listen: Do you hear clippers snipping just over there?"

Tenten dipped her head in a tense nod. She very lightly touched one of her friend's hands in reassurance. Slipping swiftly and silently around the meditation garden's perimeter into the hidden track between the trees and some kind of tall evergreen hedge beyond, she followed the steady _click-snick!_ coming from the other side, all her senses at full stretch, to a spot she judged to be opposite the person plying the shears. Relief tingled from the crown of her head to toes when she stealthily made gaps to peer through and saw Neji kneeling and trimming the grass border in front of the hedge.

Sinking down onto her knees, Tenten pushed a hand into the stiff foliage, grasped a sticky branch and gave it a gentle shake. "Lord Neji," she whispered; and more sharply when he didn't respond, _"Lord Neji!_ It's Tenten!" She rustled the branch a little harder.

The young man sat back on his heels, brushing a stray strand of dark chocolate brown hair out of his face as he checked over his handiwork. As she gritted her teeth in frustration, he lifted his beautiful, lucent eyes to her hiding place in a piercing glance before looking down at the grass again. He smoothed a hand over it.

"You are a most - persistent - person," he sighed. "What is it going to take for you to stop calling me that?" Getting to his feet, he added, "Stay there. I will come to you."

Tenten stood as well. Within a few seconds he'd joined her in the fragrant, deep green closeness, and she instantly sensed how much effort it was costing him to control his impulse to panic. As succinctly yet as gently as she could, she told him of Hinata's impending courtship by Uchiha Sasuke, though not the underlying reason for it; then, with tears in her heart, told him also why they would not be able to meet as soon as they'd planned.

He stared past her when she'd finished, unspeaking, unmoving, his face beginning to take on the look she'd dreaded seeing there again. Unable to bear it, Tenten stepped closer to him.

"M'lord- Neji, please, listen to me." She put all the sincerity she possessed into her intense whisper. "This is just a temporary setback. We are _not_ going to turn away from you. My heart nearly stopped when I found out Kakashi had actually seen me that night, even though it turned out he just thought I was getting a little careless about my duty to protect my lady. Neither of us - Hinata or I - would be able to live with the guilt if any harm came to you through our not being as careful as we could have been. "

"Yet I warned you from the very first that that was _exactly_ what you were risking: did I not? You-" although he still refused to look at her, Tenten saw his throat spasm, "-you should have listened to me. Why _didn't_ you listen to me?"

Her hands twitched with her longing to take his face between them and _make_ him meet her eyes. She fought to keep her voice down to a whisper. "Because I _couldn't_. I _still_ can't. I see the pain and the loneliness in your eyes and - and I see what life might have been for me, _would_ have been for me if Kakashi hadn't adopted and raised me. I can't turn back time and erase all the hurts, all the wrongs in your past, no matter how badly I wish I could. But if you'll only let me, I want to help make your present better-" _-And your future,_ she almost added; except it probably wouldn't sound right and she feared she'd said too much already. She dropped her gaze to the ground between their feet, her shoulders slumping in dejection.

"You are a - _most _- persistent person." Without warning, one of Neji's hands was under her chin, gently urging her to look up. She did, and found him regarding her with an utterly bemused expression on his face. "Whatever my fated lifespan, I see I will have no peace until you have your way. We will contrive some method of arranging when to meet. For now, though, you had best get back to-"

As though possessed by some outside force, Tenten's left hand suddenly flew up to cover Neji's lips. An instant later she saw understanding replace the startlement in his eyes, and knew he'd heard the same thing she had: voices, a girl's and a man's, getting closer and closer to the meditation garden where Hinata awaited Tenten's return.

_Oh, great, _now_ what do we do?_ shot through Tenten's mind even as she heard the man say, sounding greatly surprised, "Why, Lady Hinata! It is a long time since I have had the pleasure of seeing you here!"

"G-good morning, Iruka-sensei. G-good morning, little s-sister." Hinata's reply carried clearly to the two in hiding. "Yes, it has b-been too long a t-time since I sought the c-calm of this p-place."

Hanabi's voice came next, bored and petulant. "So where's what's-her-name? I thought she was supposed to stay with you all the time."

"Tenten," Hinata's tone held a definite if gentle note of reproof, "needed t-to return t-to the house for a time. And why should she not? Am I not c-completely safe within the grounds of m-my own home?"

At the same moment Tenten delightedly thought, _Good thinking, Hinata!_ Neji took her hand from his lips and gestured for her to follow him. She nodded her understanding and agreement. They'd only taken a few silent steps, however, when Hanabi spoke again, sharply spiteful. "The way _I_ heard it from Father, her main job is to keep you _on_ the estate grounds, stupid older sister."

"Lady Hanabi," Iruka-sensei said sternly, but Tenten lost the rest of the tutor's rebuke as Neji abruptly whipped around, his mouth going thin and hard, his eyes flaring with white fire. In the very next instant the clippers he still carried in his other hand slipped from his grip and started to fall. Reacting with incredible swiftness he grabbed hold of them again before they could hit the ground and make a betraying noise. His face went white and twisted in a silent grimace of pain. As he laid the tool carefully to one side of the narrow track she looked down; saw with horror the bright blood welling from deep cuts on his fingers.

_Let me bandage that!_ she mouthed at him as he straightened, her fingers already fumbling with the hem of her top.

_No!_ he mouthed back, curling his injured hand into a tight fist he supported with the other, _no time!_ _Follow me, and be quiet! _Turning away, he rapidly set off again, clearly expecting her to obey.

Tenten glared at the back of his head. _Autocratic male!_ she thought balefully, even as she realized he was right and followed after him. Hinata had provided a perfectly blameless reason for Tenten's absence. It was now incumbent on them to make sure there could be no doubt she'd been somewhere other than the heiress had said.

Finally, after several minutes of soundless navigation, Neji halted and turned to face her. He looked, she thought, alarmingly pale. "Go around this arbor and then bear left along the path," he whispered hoarsely. "It'll lead you more or less to where Hina is, just as though you had actually been up to the house."

"All right," Tenten replied, "but first let me see your hand." She reached out to take it in her own.

"No," he said flatly, twisting his upper body away from her. "You can't have blood on you if you're seen by anyone other than Hinata. And probably not a good idea then," his lips quirked, "she'd more than likely faint on you." His expression softened a little, even if his whisper maintained an edge of impatience. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. The tendons aren't cut, I couldn't flex them if they were, and I'm not going to bleed to death, I promise. Now _go_, Tenten."

"Autocratic male." This time she did say it aloud, though it didn't have quite the same acerbic bite when spoken in a whisper.

"Well, if you're going to persist in calling me 'Lord Neji,' I suppose I need to start acting the part." The barest hint of a smile touched his pain tautened lips.

Tenten grinned reluctantly in return. She started to turn away, then paused to look him straight in the eye. "So, then, Lord Neji, we haven't settled yet on how to know when to meet again. What do you suggest?"

Neji took a couple of steps closer to her, making her tilt her head backwards to maintain eye contact with him. He was, she realized with an unanticipated thrill, nearly as tall as Kakashi. Reaching up past her head with his uninjured hand, he snapped a flower from the arbor behind her. "When you and Hina think it safe again," he pressed it into her hand, "put one of these over the shouji leading into her rooms from the verandah. I'll know to meet you in the gazebo at midnight that night." Pivoting, he walked back into the shadows of the gardeners' paths and was quickly lost to her view.

Only then did Tenten think to look at the blossom he'd given her: a half-opened white rose, the underside of its snowy petals unexpectedly smudged with vivid red. Moving past the arbor as she'd been instructed to do, she glanced back to see what the effect would be of a mass of them together. Her breath abruptly got stuck somewhere between her lungs and her throat.

Every other rose, from barely emergent bud to fully opened flower, was purest white. The red on hers came from Neji's blood.

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><p>Itachi slumped bonelessly on the floor against the wall just outside the door leading into the toilet room after another racking bout of sickness, trying to will enough strength into his limbs to finish pushing the trash can in ahead of him. If only the world would stop spinning and swaying around him, he thought muzzily, maybe he'd succeed in getting rid of its grim contents before Temari got back with the healer. He just needed to rest for a second. . . Maybe two. . .<p>

"_Itachi!"_ Temari's voice, high-pitched in alarm, penetrated the buzzing in his ears. He made an effort to raise a restraining hand. She mustn't come any closer, she mustn't _see_-

"Right, out you go, my dear," an older, reedy voice said firmly. "Pace the hallway all you like while Noriyuki and I take care of things in here." He heard the outer door close. A moment later he felt hands on either side of his face. "My, my, my, what do we have here, hm? Come now, Lord Itachi, up you get and back to bed with you. Noriyuki will help, then clean this up while we see what's going on with you."

Forcing his eyes open a slit, he got a brief impression of dark grey hair above an ancient face as softly crumpled as the petals of one of the antique roses his mother loved; and behind it a looming shadow that suddenly resolved into a middle-aged man who with the ease of long practice helped Itachi onto his feet, across the room and into bed. The old woman - Granny Chiyo, he remembered Temari calling her - bent over him, her wrinkled face intent as she examined him, muttering a continuous monologue under her breath.

"Fever, yes yes, and sensitivity to light, only to be expected. Neck glands slightly swollen and tender, well that's no surprise either. Heartbeat rapid but strong, no congestion in the lungs, that's good. Now what about the stomach, hmmm?" Her fingers pressed down with more strength than he would've expected; he reflexively flinched and gasped. "Oh, yes indeed, that's what I thought would happen. What about the lower right abdomen? No similar reaction there? Excellent, excellent. Well well, we'll just draw a wee bit of blood to test as a precaution, shall we? And then some medicine for the nausea, and that wicked, wicked headache. And some IV fluids, maybe? Yes, positively fluids are indicated, I do think our Suna climate has not agreed with the young lord from Konoha. Dehydration is definitely one of the culprits here. Let's take a look at your veins now, dear," he felt her lift his left hand and lightly tap the flat of her fingers across the back of it, "oh goodness yes, there's a very good one!"

Another wave of sickness began building in Itachi's burning midsection. He weakly tried to roll onto his side away from the old healer; heard her call her assistant's name out sharply. An instant later he felt his upper body being supported over the edge of the bed, his head firmly held between Granny Chiyo's hands as he heaved drily, embarrassment mingling with his general wretchedness. And then he somehow was lying flat on his back again, a tight discomfort just below his left bicep preceding a sharp pricking pain in the back of his hand. Voices talked back and forth over him, fading into a distant buzz as a stinging coolness - or was it heat? - flowed up his arm.

Itachi's world went blessedly black.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ Sorry that there wasn't much going on in the Suna front, but I was very happy to present you all a _lot_ of things on the NejiTen one! Secondly, apologies for the semi-evil cliffhanger (again), but in my defense, my beta decided to chop it there and I don't want to add and post any more that hasn't been beta'd. Please don't kill me? Until next update, thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed, and I wish you all a safe, happy, and Merry Christmas!


	15. Expectations

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _PolkadottedAngels_, _Metoochocolate_, _rao hyuga 18_, _Glitterthorn_, _DarkAnonymous324_, and _TheSigmaEnigma_ for all your wonderful, encouraging reviews, and for getting me to the 50 mark! Also thank you to everyone who has added _Labyrinth_ to their favorite and alert lists.

**Author's Note:** I know this update is terribly, terribly late - but, in order to let you get on with reading the chapter (which I don't blame you for doing, anyway), I'll save the explanations for the end of the chapter. In the meanwhile, I hope you enjoy, and this chapter was worth the wait!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter XV~*<strong>

_~Expectations~_

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><p>"A p-pure white rose, hung where he c-can see to signal a rendezvous with you." Hinata's eyes held a misty, dreamy look. "That is so-"<p>

"Don't say it, Hina," Tenten interrupted quickly. "_Please_ don't use the 'r' word! It's nothing like that. It could just as easily have been a daisy or - or some other kind of flower, we just happened to be standing right next to this arbor and that's what was growing on it."

Hinata made a noncommittal humming sound. But from the tiny smile still hovering on her friend's lips as she leaned back against the cushions of the litter, Tenten could tell she hadn't given up on the idea. Fortunately it was not a long ride from the Hyuuga estate to the Yamanaka residence. The litter had barely come to a halt within the courtyard when Ino flew down the front steps and all but dove through the side curtains.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome!" She grabbed first Hinata, then Tenten, in enthusiastic hugs. She pulled back, her blue eyes brimming with tears. "I'm so glad you're here, it's been so _long_, Hina-"

"Yes, it h-has." Tenten saw the heiress look wistfully around her as she exited the litter. Two menservants briefly bowed before proceeding to help the driver unload their minimal luggage. Ino linked arms with them and drew them into the house which, though somewhat smaller than the Hyuuga's, had a much more welcoming air. As might be expected in a florist's home, flower arrangements were the prevailing decorations; as might be expected in a home Ino supervised, said arrangements balanced elegance and exuberance.

"So," Ino asked once her guests' bags had been placed inside her second floor bedroom, "are you up for a spot of shopping? There is this _fabulous_ new boutique not too far from our shop, and I've been keeping my eye on a couple of outfits for the two of you to wear to the festival tomorrow that will make you look good enough to _eat!_"

Tenten inwardly winced at the image that flashed past her mind's eye. "Um, thank you, Ino," she said, "but technically speaking I won't be _attending_ the festival. I will be there as Hinata's bodyguard."

Ino tossed her heavy yellow ponytail. "There's no _law_, is there, that says a girl can't look good while doing her job? And _no_, Hinata," she rounded on the heiress, "I _know_ what you're thinking, and you _can't_ just wear the same thing you wore to Akimichi's! We are going shopping! The only question is whether we go before lunch or after."

As Tenten knew she would, Hinata yielded with a soft sigh. "B-before. But n-no horse l-litter. I want t-to walk."

Ino clapped her hands in delight. "Good! And once we've finished at the boutique there is a teahouse nearby that has the most _awesome_ cinnamon rolls. My treat!"

Since the Yamanaka estate stood much closer to Konoha's commercial district it took a depressingly short amount of time for the three girls to walk there, even at a leisurely pace. Tenten spent most of it trying to come up with a way to keep from having to try on outfits, let alone buy one, but couldn't shake the feeling Ino was fully prepared to knock down every one of her excuses. Hinata probably wouldn't be any help either. They'd already had a lengthy discussion on Tenten's role on the following evening, and she had a feeling it wasn't over.

The dress shop fairly shouted _Expensive!_ at Tenten as they approached. She unconsciously balled her hands into fists inside her wide sleeves, wanting nothing more than to be able to turn and run; a feeling that doubled in intensity when a stylishly dressed woman hastened to bow and greet them, then bustled off to pull the requested garments. All too soon she found herself in a spacious mirrored cubicle with Hinata and Ino, the latter fluttering around them like an overexcited butterfly.

First Hinata tried on the outfit Ino had chosen for her: a shortsleeved dress which swirled from a fitted bodice of deep lilac randomly shot with silver threads to a midthigh skirt of a lighter hue, worn over kneelength shorts that were an even paler shade. Modestly high platform sandals with glittering straps added a couple of inches to her height while emphasizing her slender ankles.

"I think this time your hair should stay down," Ino said thoughtfully. "Maybe we'll just put an ornamental clip in on one side. What do you think, Tenten?"

"Yes," Tenten agreed decisively despite the pleading glance the heiress gave her. "I know you're used to wearing a kimono, Hinata, but not only do you look fantastic: I think you'll be a lot more comfortable wearing this. Or you will be once you get used to walking in those sandals."

Hinata studied herself in the surrounding mirrors, the doubtful look slowly fading away. "I will f-fit in much b-better with everyone else in this, right?"

"Absolutely you will," Ino said promptly. "Didn't you notice at Akimichi's the other night? Not many people wear kimono on a daily basis anymore."

Hinata inhaled deeply. "I'll t-take it. All right, Tenten," she turned around with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes, "your t-turn."

Tenten's mouth suddenly went dry. She'd been trying very hard not to look at the midnight blue clothes hanging on the cubicle's creamy wall - especially since she'd noticed the satiny gleam of frogging on the left shoulder. As she reluctantly removed her trousers and top, revealing several previously concealed weapons strapped to various parts of her body, Ino's blue eyes got bigger and bigger. The blonde blinked rapidly several times but tactfully made no comment about them. Instead, "Close your eyes, Tenten," she said with a giggle. "No peeking until we say you can."

"Er, um-" An instinctive urge to retreat shivered along Tenten's nerves and her hands came up in a warding-off gesture. "Is that really necessary?"

"Trust us," Hinata said softly. "Ino and I have p-played this dressup game since we were little g-girls getting into our mothers' c-closets. It's okay."

After what seemed like an eternity of giggles and ruthless hands manipulating her limbs this way and that as though she were a life-sized doll, her two companions chorused, "Open your eyes!" _Don't want to_, Tenten thought mulishly, then felt ashamed of herself. She cautiously cracked the lids of her left eye open the merest slit; did the same with the right. "Oh, c'mon, _look!_" Ino exclaimed with a laugh as she poked Tenten in the ribs.

Tenten's eyes flew open. She focused on her reflection, and her mouth abruptly did the same thing. "Is - that - _me?_" she squeaked, staring at the unfamiliar girl in the mirror directly in front of her. From its standup collar past the cap sleeves to the deep slits extending up each side from a hem that hit just above her knees, the dark blue tunic caressed her figure in a silken shimmer. Black trousers fit her loosely enough to provide ease of movement, as well as concealment for her weapons: some of them, at least.

"What d-do you think?" Hinata asked anxiously from her right.

"I think I look glamorous," Tenten said uncertainly, still feeling dazed, "and nothing like myself at all."

On her left Ino nodded smugly. "Didn't I tell you? Good enough to _eat_!"

* * *

><p>Late on Saturday afternoon, as the sun drifted lazily down the western sky, the tree-lined streets of Konoha began to fill with couples young and old, the occasional individual, groups of friends, families. The hum of voices raised in excited conversation resonated along Hinata's nerves, pooling in a quivering knot in the pit of her stomach. She and her companions walked with the flow of villagers moving steadily toward the enormous plaza just inside the main gates. She couldn't remember a time in her life when she'd ever been around so many people. In fact, she was beginning to feel quite smothered, as though the crowd around her consumed all the oxygen in the air, leaving none for her. Only her bitter suspicion of her father's plans for her, along with the comfort of knowing she'd chosen to fight for her birthright, gave her the strength she needed to keep her head up and continue moving forward; each step a blow struck in her inward battle against the panic, the old feelings of inadequacy and inferiority, of being judged a disappointment.<p>

On some superficial level Hinata remained aware of her surroundings, of Tenten's watchful presence and the light social conversation being carried on by Ino, Shikamaru, and Lord Sasuke, even adding an occasional comment herself. Her inner and outer selves didn't reconnect, though, until Ino linked arms with her, saying with a laugh, "Better hang on to me going up these steps, Hina, since those sandals are so new. It would be a _very_ bad omen if the future leader of Konoha tripped and broke her leg before the festival even gets started!"

Hinata blinked in surprise at the wide, imposing stone staircase rising before her. Her gaze traveled up to the building they led to, and the guards in Konoha police uniforms standing next to the entrance watching them very intently. "They're r-really not so d-different from g-geta," she murmured distractedly while allowing her arm to remain entwined with her friend's. Their small group started upward at a leisurely pace.

They were less than halfway up when both guards stepped forward to the edge of the wide platform, one of them saying politely but very firmly, "With regret, young sirs and ladies, spectators are not permitted here. Please return to the plaza."

Even as the impulse to apologize and retreat twitched from Hinata's brain to her feet, Sasuke spoke from just behind her left shoulder. "For normal spectators, yes," he said mildly, yet with an unmistakable note of authority. "But I think an exception can be made in this case, Toshimaru - especially for Lady Hinata, the Heiress of the Hyuuga clan, and my other guests."

"Of course, Lord Sasuke!" Both guards bowed crisply, the one who'd addressed them adding, "My profound apologies for not recognizing you, m'lord. Welcome, Lady Hinata and honored guests!"

Sasuke nodded a dismissal, then turned to Hinata and the others with a faint grin. "Being the future chief of police _does_ have some perks attached. Since this is your first time attending the festival, Lady Hinata - and Tenten's as well - I want you to have the best possible view of the opening ceremonies."

Hinata smiled at him shyly. "Thank you, L-Lord Sasuke. It is v-very k-kind of you."

The shadows grew longer and darker across the plaza and village. Twilight deepened into dusk that yielded by infinitesimal degrees to a darkness unbroken by any hint of artificial illumination. Stars gleamed overhead, their light too faint and frail to give any definition to the world below. The steady buzz of voices reaching them from the crowd below stilled, except for the occasional excited shriek from a very young child, quickly hushed. Hinata's heart and respiration rates increased again, but this time with an anticipation untainted by panic.

Lord Sasuke's warm breath stirred the hair by Hinata's left ear as he leaned toward her and whispered, "Any second now." He'd barely finished speaking when from a shrine deep within the village a gong sounded, its mellow reverberations evoking a sense of profound peace. _Boom!_ Before the gong's echoes died a single deep beat from an enormous drum answered from the heights of the sheltering cliff rising behind Konoha. Unconsciously Hinata shivered as it resonated within her, drawing her eyes in its direction. Even though the sounds were familiar to her, sequestered as she'd been most of her life, her spirits lifted as though she were experiencing them for the first time. She kept her gaze focused on the deeper black mass of the cliff as the notes from multiple gongs quavered through the night and several drums sent out their booming reply.

There! So dimly as to seem a mere trick of light-starved eyes, a gleam of light appeared along the edge of the cliff. The gongs continued to sound at half-minute intervals, the _taiko_ drums filling in the spaces with their compelling beat. The light grew stronger and stronger, welling up and spilling down the cliff's face in a flood of radiance. Very distantly now, from several points at the rear of Konoha, the wild piping of many flutes joined in with the gongs and drums, coming steadily closer, seeming to draw after it a swelling wave of luminescence. This part was all new to Hinata. Without realizing it she rested her chin on top of her clasped hands as she watched the area of darkness grow smaller and smaller before the onslaught of light, shrinking until it was barely larger than the plaza. . . .

And brilliance suddenly raced over the last of the buildings ringing the circular space between them, the gates, and the outer wall; flared from above them, sweeping the last of the darkness away as the music came to a sustained crescendo, then abruptly ceased.

The crowd of villagers clapped and cheered prior to dispersing to enjoy the fair's other activities, Hinata clapping as well. Glowing with delight she turned to Lord Sasuke, exclaiming as she bowed, "Oh, that was m-marvelous! Thank you s-so much!" She also bobbed briefly toward the policemen on guard duty, never noticing their swiftly concealed astonishment as they bowed deeply in return. "That was b-beyond anything I've ever imagined d-during all these years."

His usually reserved expression lightened as he smiled at her. "I'm very glad you enjoy-" he started to reply, but Ino bounced between them, chattering nonstop.

"Wasn't that the most incredible thing you've ever seen in your _life_, Hinata? What about you, Tenten? Have you seen anything like it any of the places you've been? I _always_ get goosebumps when the first gong sounds, and then the drums! I really _love_ the drums, don't you? Dad's told me before what it all symbolizes, but I always get too excited to remember what it's supposed to mean. And now comes the really _fun_ part! Vendors have been setting up their booths _all week_! There are rides, too, and games," she giggled, "who knows, maybe Sasuke will win you a prize!"

Hinata felt her nerves tighten with dread as Ino reached for her arm again. Dearly as she loved her oldest friend, being around her when she was in one of these hyper moods always left her exhausted. She had a sudden vision of being towed behind Ino at a gallop through the crowded plaza, from booth to booth to booth-

Before Ino could complete her move, Lord Sasuke was somehow between them, tucking her hand into the crook of his elbow. "It will be my pleasure to do so if that's what Lady Hinata wishes," he said smoothly. Just beyond him Ino looked vastly surprised and a little displeased. "Since this is your first festival, my lady, what would you like to do?"

Hinata studied the teeming scene below. For a wistful moment she imagined Naruto at her side, that when she looked up at her escort she would see blond hair and blue eyes, and most of all that _smile_. A flutter went through her aching heart as she pushed the dream away, sadly acknowledging that was all it would ever be: an unrealized dream. "P-perhaps we could j-just take our t-time and see what c-catches our interest," she suggested tentatively.

Shikamaru heaved a great sigh from the other side of Ino. "Finally - a woman with the sense to enjoy life at a reasonable pace," he said.

Ino sniffed. "Yeah, well, _your_ idea of enjoying the festival would be sitting halfway up the steps watching everybody _else _have fun. What's the fun of _that_?"

They descended the steps. It felt, Hinata thought whimsically, like they were entering a pool; one filled with music and laughter and color and enticing smells rather than water. As they rejoined the slowly swirling eddies of people a particular scent brushed past her nose and her head automatically turned to follow it. "D-do I smell c-cinnamon rolls?"

Ino laughed and even Tenten giggled softly. "Hope you brought plenty of money, Sasuke," the blonde said. "If anyone wanted to sponsor a cinnamon roll-eating contest, our Hina would win hands down! I've never seen _anyone_ put away as many as she did after we finished shopping yesterday!"

Hinata's cheeks went very hot. She said in a very small voice, "I d-didn't eat _that_ many - d-did I?"

"Only six, my lady," Tenten chipped in from behind them. Hinata felt her blush deepen.

"For me it's not sweets. It's tomatoes," Sasuke said pensively. She glanced up to see him gazing thoughtfully into the middle distance while nodding slightly. "I've never been able to talk Mother into having one bowl on the table for the rest of the family, and one bowl - only a little bit bigger - on the table for me. It's a sad thing, but true." Hinata put her free hand up to her mouth to stifle a giggle; he turned his head to look down at her. "Shall we track down those rolls for you, Lady Hinata?"

She nodded, suddenly realizing she didn't feel quite as awkward around Lord Sasuke as previously. They found the cinnamon roll vendor; then decided to go on a quest to see if they could find anything with tomatoes. At some point during the evening Ino dragged Shikamaru off to look at something that caught her fancy. Shadowed unobtrusively by Tenten Hinata and Sasuke drifted on, thankfully bypassing the intimidating rides, casually browsing instead while idly talking about what interested each of them; and if he found it boring, she thought gratefully, at least he was gentleman enough not to show it.

"Step right up! Step right up and throw the shuriken, win fabulous prizes!"

The barker's loud voice seemed to come from right next to Hinata's ear, making her startle and look around with a small gasp. "How about it, sir?" The man behind the counter smiled widely past her as he swept a hand at the pockmarked target at the back of his booth. "Get all five shuriken inside the red center, and win the beautiful young lady a fantastic prize!" He pointed to the shelves on either side, packed with stuffed animals of all kinds and sizes.

Sasuke shrugged carelessly. "Oh, well, it is something of a festival tradition," he said to Hinata as he turned toward the game booth. "Not to mention Ino will never let me forget it if I don't. Be picking out which animal you want, Lady Hinata."

Hinata stepped off to one side next to Tenten, whom she saw had one eyebrow slightly lifted. She watched as Sasuke paid the barker and accepted five shuriken in return. He hefted each one separately as though testing its balance, then settled into a relaxed stance.

_Thunk! Thunk thunk! Thunk! Thunk!_ He tossed all five in rapid succession, making a straight line with them along the center's diameter. The booth attendant's mouth hung slightly open as he went to pull them from the target. Hinata heard Tenten let out a soft whistle. "Very impressive, my lord," she said respectfully.

"Thank you. Coming from Hatake Kakashi's sister, that's quite a compliment," Sasuke said, then he shrugged again. "My brother is better. Which animal did you choose, m'lady?"

"That one." Hinata pointed to a small light brown dog with dark-ringed eyes and darker brown ears and front paws. Sasuke accepted it from the barker; as he turned to present it to her, she heard Tenten murmur mischievously, "Now, perhaps my lady would like to win a prize for the gentleman?"

Hinata froze with the toy dog clutched against her chest, feeling herself go very red under Sasuke's startled regard. "You throw shuriken, Lady Hinata?" he asked.

Something deep inside her reacted to the clear note of incredulity in his voice. Putting her chin up she looked directly into his eyes, so black they appeared as pupilless as her own. "N-not as well as you," she replied, "b-but yes, I d-do." She handed her prize to Tenten.

Sasuke yielded his place to her, smiling as he put some more money on the counter. "Five more shuriken for the lady," he told the attendant. The man handed them to her, then hastily withdrew far to one side, nettling her even more. _Control your mind and emotions,_ she reminded herself of Tenten's instructions, _and the rest will follow-_

She blocked out her surroundings, wrapping herself in the memory of the garden outside her rooms. The first shuriken flew from her hand, landing just inside the center. _No nerves, just calm-_ Drawing a steadying breath, she let the second one fly, then the other three in a smooth rhythm. They all landed inside the target's scarlet heart. She turned to face Sasuke, a feeling of triumph cascading through her. "Wh-which animal d-did _you_ pick out, my l-lord?" she asked, unable to keep a note of sauciness from her voice. She felt Tenten positively beaming at her back.

Lord Sasuke bowed. "My lady, I would be greatly honored if you chose for me," he said.

_Hn. Didn't think I could do it, did you?_ But at the moment Hinata felt too good to let the realization rankle. She scanned the shelves for the other stuffed dog that had caught her eye earlier and pointed to one larger than hers, the same shade of brown but with dark glasses covering its eyes. "That one."

A short time later Hinata saw Ino and Shikamaru walking towards them. Her friend had her right arm twined around Shikamaru's left and seemed as giddy and hyper as ever as she leaned happily against him. A toy pug sporting a big "1" was tucked under her other arm. Shikamaru, however, appeared frankly bored. Hinata thought he looked as though he'd rather be anywhere else than the festival. In his right hand he carried something bright pink and fluffy wrapped around a paper holder; it was evidently edible, since a large bite was missing from its side.

"We've been looking for you!" Ino called as they came closer. "See what Shikamaru won for me?" She waggled the pug excitedly, then broke out laughing. "Oh, wow, Sasuke! You won Hinata _two?_"

Shikamaru's shoulders rose and fell in a heavy sigh. "Showoff," he muttered. "Now she's going to expect me to go back and win her _another_ one. What a drag."

Hinata peeked at Sasuke from the corners of her eyes; blushed and quickly dropped her gaze when she saw he was looking down at her, approval warming his dark eyes. "I only won the one. It's Ino who has some work to do because Lady Hinata," he nodded at the stuffed animal he carried, "won _this_ for me."

* * *

><p>Unconsciousness lifted from Itachi gradually, peeling away from his mind like layers of gossamer. He drifted on the edge of awareness for a while, waiting for memory to return, feeling light, hollow, bodiless. Eventually he came to a languid decision and slowly opened his eyes.<p>

Light, yes, but so _dim._ He felt a distant jag of fear - had his vision somehow been damaged? - until he thought to look up at the high windows and saw it was actually night. The dim illumination came from a lamp somewhere out of his line of sight. Awareness of something else slowly built: While he still felt sore and lethargic, the dreadful pain and sickness had gone. He breathed a faint sigh of relief, then discovered he lacked the strength to keep his eyes open any longer. Letting them sag shut again, he slipped into deep, natural sleep.

When Itachi next woke, it was to full daylight - and the sight of Temari sitting in a chair at the side of his bed, head bent over the book she was reading, her hair gleaming closer to true gold where the sun's rays touched it. "T-Temari?" he exclaimed, or tried to; only a weak croak came out of his throat.

Her head snapped up. _"Itachi!"_ The book went flying. She jumped up and bent over him, turquoise eyes wide as they searched his face. He wasn't exactly sure how it happened, but one of his hands was suddenly clasped tightly in both of hers. "Itachi!"

He blinked up at her. Were those tears he saw glistening in her eyes? Guilt mingled with an urge to ease her distress welled up in him. "S-so sorry-" he tried to say, but his mouth and throat didn't seem to want to cooperate with him.

Her hands squeezed his an impossible degree tighter before turning loose. "Aoba, the tea! Noriyuki, help me prop up Lord Itachi!" The man he vaguely remembered arriving with Granny Chiyo came up on the other side of his bed. Just as he wondered fuzzily, _And did she say "Aoba?"_ one of the men who'd come with him from Konoha appeared beside her and put a cup into her hand. She held it to his lips, saying, "It's cool on purpose. Slow, tiny sips now. Swish it around your mouth before you swallow, that's the way-"

Whatever kind of tea it was, it definitely wasn't the green tea he'd been expecting. Itachi felt his nose wrinkle at the taste but as he obediently drank the tepid liquid, it seemed he could feel the exquisite relief of moistness returning to his tongue, the tissues lining his mouth, his throat. He sighed.

Temari handed the empty cup to Aoba, who still stood behind her grinning widely down at Itachi. Noriyuki gently eased him onto the support of several pillows, murmuring, "It's good to see you with us again, my lord."

"Thank you." This time Itachi's voice worked much better, even if it did sound weaker than usual. "I apologize deeply for-"

"-For being human?" The look of anxiety lingering around her eyes offset the tart note in Temari's voice. "I am just so grateful the illness hit while you were still here, instead of halfway back to Konoha."

"Aye, m'lord," Aoba agreed fervently. "It doesn't bear thinking of, what could've happened if that had been the case. And speaking of Konoha - Raijin has taken a letter from Lord Gaara to Lord Fugaku explaining why your return home will be delayed by a week or so."

"Letter- My return delayed- What day _is_ this?" Itachi frowned slightly as he tried to pick up the thread of time again.

Temari shot a burning glare over her shoulder at Aoba, who immediately looked abashed, then leaned over to rest her hands on Itachi's shoulders. "It's Saturday afternoon," she said, holding his gaze with hers. "You've been desperately ill, Itachi: some sort of dreadful viral infection made even more vicious by dehydration. Either Noriyuki or Granny Chiyo herself has been with you around the clock since Thursday. Your fever finally broke around two o'clock this morning, and you should make a full recovery - _if_ you don't do anything stupid like trying to make the three-day journey back across the desert before you're physically ready just because you think you're being some kind of a burden _here_."

Itachi shook his head restlessly as he tried to wrap his mind around the gap in his life, wanting to protest that he had duties and responsibilities at home awaiting his attention; but simply lacked the energy to argue. It took all his strength to lift a hand and cover one of hers where it rested on his shoulder. "Then all I can do is thank you - all of you," he included Aoba and Noriyuki with sideways glances, "and make sure not to undo everything you've done for me."

During the succeeding days Itachi tried hard to keep his promise to be a good patient. Noriyuki and Aoba took it in turns to help him with things he wasn't quite strong enough to do for himself yet. Granny Chiyo checked on him periodically as well: not just to monitor his recovery from the virus, but also to continue treatment of the bleeding ulcer she'd diagnosed during her initial examination. Still, it was hard not to fret. He knew his mother and brother would both be frantic with worry; his father, on the other hand, would probably just be furious, as though he'd gotten sick on purpose. In fact, he felt certain a blistering missive was even now on its way to him. Deciding he would deal with it when it arrived, he made a determined effort to concentrate on getting his strength back as well as on the extra time he had to spend with Temari.

Wednesday came and went, though, with no messenger from Konoha, leaving Itachi unsure whether to feel relieved or apprehensive. Thursday morning after breakfast, he and Temari went up to the rooftop garden for the first time since his illness. The richly scented, humid air wrapped around him like a hug from a long-lost friend, inspiring an unexpected pang of homesickness in him. His eyes closed of their own accord as he tilted his head back and took in a deep, deep breath.

"I miss Konoha, too," Temari said softly. "Not as much as you do, of course," she added when he looked down at her in surprise, "but it definitely has made a lasting place for itself in my heart."

"As Suna has in mine," he responded. They settled on a shaded bench close to the wall of windows. "Your village's beauty is austere and subtle- Except for the sunsets, which are truly extravagant."

Temari smiled. Gazing outward, Itachi rested his left hand on the empty bit of bench between them, a passive invitation she was free to accept or refuse. A moment later, she lightly covered it with her right. Silence, companionable rather than awkward, fell between them.

"I never had the chance to ask you about this garden," he said eventually. "Why was it built?"

"Mother wasn't a native of Suna," Temari replied. "She came from a village far to the south and west of here, with a climate even hotter and wetter than Konoha's - if that's even possible." She slanted a teasing glance at him. "Father had it built for her shortly after their betrothal, so she would always have something of her home village nearby." She fell silent for a moment, then added very softly, "It doesn't really mean anything to Gaara, but for Kankuro and me, it helps keep our memories of her fresh and alive."

He nodded slowly. "Thank you for telling me."

Temari's fingers twitched ever so slightly on top of his. "Thank_ you_ for not offering to build a sand garden in Konoha for me."

Quiet descended again, to be broken sometime later by the garden's heavy door opening and closing. As they both stood and turned, Itachi's mind flashed back to the only other time he and Temari had been here. Perhaps because of that he was unsurprised to see the young lord of Suna walking along the path toward them, carrying a sealed scroll in one hand and looking more than ordinarily solemn. He came to a halt on the opposite side of the bench from them.

Temari spoke first, on a tight, questioning note. "Gaara? What is it?"

"A messenger has arrived from Konoha." He proffered the scroll he held to Itachi, who took it with a sharp feeling of foreboding made all the stronger by the way Gaara stared him in the eyes before shifting his unblinking, sage green gaze to his sister. "Temari: Please come with me while Lord Itachi reads his letter from Lord Fugaku." He extended one hand commandingly.

_He knows what's in here because Father has written him about it, too. Which means it has something to do with our betrothal, and _that_ concerns both of us._ "By your leave, Lord Gaara," Itachi said, his voice every bit as authoritative as the younger man's. "It isn't necessary for-"

"Yes. It is," Gaara interrupted flatly, not lowering his hand. Itachi's rare temper started to flare. Temari looked nervously from one to the other of them, reacting to the tension suddenly crackling between her brother and her betrothed. "This will be better coming from me than from you. Temari, I need to speak with you now."

Hesitantly, her expression deeply troubled, Temari asked, "_What_ would be better coming from you?" Her breathing suddenly quickened, her eyes going bright and hard. "Does Lord Fugaku think we _lied_ about Itachi's illness? That we're somehow holding him here against his will? Is he wanting to _break_ our betrothal? _Answer_ me, Gaara!"

"No." For one insane moment, Itachi thought that single uninflected syllable was all the other man meant to say, until he added, "He has set a date for the wedding. Temari, for Lord Itachi's sake if not for your own, please give him some privacy now."

Temari's face went white with shock. Gaara took her in charge and led her from the conservatory, pausing at the doorway only long enough to say, "I'm sorry," over his shoulder in a very quiet voice. Itachi's anger burned hotter, but its focus changed as he stared down at the scroll clenched in his hand. Ripping open the seal, he unrolled it and read the few terse paragraphs inside. His legs went wobbly underneath him and he dropped heavily back onto the bench, the short length of parchment crushed in his fist.

_October seventeenth. October seventeenth. That's barely more than a month away-_ No wonder Gaara had been so insistent, Itachi realized on some distant level untouched by his fury. In his own awkward way he'd tried to buffer the shock. _October seventeenth. Is this your way of _punishing_ me, Father, for doing something, however unintentionally, outside your plans? Or is it only your insatiable lust for control, for absolute dominance, showing itself?_

The sun's white-hot orb had climbed nearly to its zenith before Itachi reattained some measure of control over his emotions. He didn't realize until he attempted to stand how suffocatingly steamy the greenhouse had gotten, despite the steady whirring of ventilation fans. His face and hair dripped with sweat, his perspiration-soaked clothes clinging to his body. On the third try he pushed to his feet and staggered straight for the door, spending several long minutes propped against the wall outside while the heat-induced pounding in his chest and head eased.

As soon as he could he started downstairs, thinking distractedly of finding Temari or Gaara. _I definitely need to change clothes first,_ he acknowledged with a grimace, _probably bathe, too._ He exited the stairs, quickly strode along two corridors, swung around a corner into a third, the one leading to his suite-

-And nearly knocked Granny Chiyo backward into Kankuro, who automatically grabbed and steadied the old woman while loudly exclaiming, "Hey! Watch out!"

"My apologies! I am so sorry! Granny Chiyo, Kankuro, are you both all right? Please excuse my clumsiness." The courtesies flowed on autopilot from Itachi's lips even as he sought the fastest away around them. But the old healer's hand clamped around his wrist, holding him back.

"Lord Itachi, just the person I was coming to see." Her small dark eyes raked over him from head to foot. "Oh, my dear, now what have you gone and done to yourself, hm? Been up in the conservatory too long in the heat of the day, have we? Lord Gaara said that was the last place he'd seen you, but never dreamed you would still be there. Kankuro and I were just coming up to check on you, seeing how you weren't in your rooms. Ah, well, now I won't have to drag this old bag of bones all the way up to the roof-"

Only one thing out of the many truly registered with Itachi. "You've spoken with Lord Gaara?" he asked, more sharply than he intended. "Was my lady Temari with him?"

Chiyo pursed her wrinkled lips. "No, no, he said the child is laid down with a headache, I truly hope she isn't coming down with what _you_ had. Kankuro, dear boy, thank you for helping me find Lord Itachi, you can go back about your business now while I conduct _my_ business with the young Uchiha."

Kankuro shrugged. "Yeah, whatever, you're welcome." He gave Itachi a curious look, but obediently didn't linger.

She tugged at his arm, but he refused to move. "Lady Chiyo," he said urgently, "please forgive my seeming rudeness, but I do most seriously need to speak with Lord Gaara as soon as possible. Is he still in the house? Where can I find him?"

"Oh, _Lady_ Chiyo is it now, you smooth-tongued young rascal!" She gave a cackling laugh. "Yes, it's my understanding he wants to see you too - but _not_ until after I've finished with you, so come along, come along. Into your room, now, and sit down!"

Giving in to the inevitable Itachi obeyed with what grace he could muster, merely perching on the very edge of one of the low chairs in the sitting room. The old woman took the one opposite. She fidgeted with her dark grey robe for a moment, smoothing it over her knees; then lifted her head and pinned him with an intense gaze.

"Itachi, dear," she said, and there was very little of the garrulous old woman in her manner now, "I've just gotten the results of your bloodwork back."

He felt his forehead wrinkle. "Bloodwork? What bloodwork?"

"Ah, well, you might not remember, you were in _very_ bad shape at the time: I drew some blood, on the suspicion it would help confirm your bleeding ulcer. But unfortunately, that's not all it did. You've been having quite a few headaches recently, haven't you, dear? And feeling fatigued even first thing in the morning? Some coughing too, I would guess?" She paused. He nodded slowly, unable to speak, a bitter chill beginning to build deep in his gut. "I noticed a teeny anomaly in your blood, so I performed some further tests, and- This is only the second case I've ever encountered in all my years practicing medicine. The condition is so rare, we don't even have a name for it. I can give you medication to help with the symptoms, maybe even somewhat slow the progression. But even at that, I predict you have a year. Maybe a year and a half, if you are very fortunate." She leaned forward to rest her wrinkled but steady hand on his shoulder, dark eyes full of sadness. "I'm very, very sorry, Itachi."

Reeling from this second blow of the day, Itachi didn't even notice when the elderly healer left. Resting his elbows on his knees he dropped his head into his hands as he struggled to accept what Granny Chiyo had told him.

_Dying. I - am - dying._ His fingers wound into his hair and he swallowed back a bubble of hysteria. _So what of all your schemes and machinations _now_, Father?_ On the thought, his mother and brother's faces came to the forefront of his mind. _Mother- Sasuke- How on earth can I find the words to tell you? And Temari. . . Is it fair to you to go through with this marriage, knowing what I now know?_

A year and a half at _most_. He was no fool: he knew his marriage to Temari had more implications than just to create a political alliance between his family and hers. They were expected to produce an heir for the Uchiha clan, a child that would also cement the bonds between Uchiha and Sabaku by combining the bloodlines. A year and a half left very little time for ... well, much of anything, really.

He lifted his head and stared blindly across the room. "I - don't know what to do," he whispered. But even as he spoke the words, he became aware of a fire in his heart pushing fiercely against the cold knowledge of his impending death. _It doesn't matter to me any more that our marriage was arranged for us. I want to marry her. I can't imagine wanting to marry anyone else _but_ her. I'm being selfish; foolishly, unforgivably selfish. But I can't give her up. I'm not that noble. All I can do is keep this a secret, carry the burden myself, and pray to the ancestors that when I do enter the afterlife, the one will balance out the other._

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ Firstly - please don't kill me! I know the urge is probably pretty strong right now, but please, _please_ don't kill me. Secondly, I'm _so_ sorry for making you wait so long for this update. The holidays were quite a bit busier than I had anticipated, with a lot of friends and family coming in, and my beta injured her back, so she hasn't really felt like sitting at a computer working. But, to kind of make up for it (and the fact that there won't be an update this Wednesday, _I'm so sorry please don't kill me!_), we made this chapter extra long: 11 KB longer than the longest chapter so far, _Heat_. In fact we wound up with a total of almost 8,000 words for this chapter. Thank you so much for your patience, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you're all having a great new year so far!


	16. Unexpected

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _Metoochocolate_, _PolkadottedAngels_, _DarkAnonymous324_, and _rao hyuga 18_ for the reviews, and also to all those who have read, and added this story to your favorite and alert lists!

**Author's Note:** A shorter chapter, granted, but some very important information is imparted in this chapter - as well as the fact that it is a bit of a calm-before-the-storm scenario. But I really, _really_ like the end of the first scene, and the beginning of the second, so I hope that you, too, find enjoyment in them. Thanks for reading, and I hope you like!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter XVI~*<strong>

_~Unexpected~_

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><p>"I picked the <em>wrong<em> week to stop smoking." Asuma closed the door separating the print shop from the office behind his wife and himself. He took a couple of steps and collapsed into his desk chair, burying his hands in his hair as he shook his head back and forth.

Naruto looked up, vaguely at first then in growing surprise as the editor's words registered. "Really? You're quitting?" He tried, but couldn't remember the last time he had seen his boss without a cigarette: either hanging out of his mouth, or lighting a new one as soon as he stubbed out the old one.

"It's an unhealthy, dreadful, nasty habit," Kurenai said firmly, leaning against her husband's desk. "And we owe it to our child to bring him or her into as healthy an atmosphere as we possibly can."

"Oh well, that makes sense," Naruto said. He went back to drafting his article; then half-stood and leaned forward so quickly he knocked his notepad off the desk and had to make a wild grab to keep the laptop in front of him from following. "_Child?_" he half-screeched. "What _child_? You mean 'child' as in _baby_?"

Asuma lifted his head to stare at his employee with bloodshot eyes. "That's right. C'mon, you can't tell me Jiraiya hasn't had this talk with you. Or even Tsunade. You know, the one about when a man and a woman love each other-"

"_Ew_!" Konohamaru cried from his half of the desk he shared with Naruto. "_Please_, Uncle Asuma, we _don't_ want to hear about all that! It's disgusting!"

All Naruto could do was stare at Kurenai's stomach, as if waiting for a head or face to pop out of it. "You - you mean you're-?"

"It's not polite to stare, Naruto." Turning on her heel, Kurenai walked over to her desk and sat down so her stomach was hidden from his view. "And yes, I'm pregnant. The baby's due sometime in April."

"Of next year?"

"No, this past year!" Konohamaru exclaimed, exasperated. "Honestly, Boss! What's the matter with you? Of _course_ next year!"

"You could have _warned_ me!" Naruto yelled. "_Excuse_ me for going into shock and not being able to think clearly!"

"You are such a _blond_ sometimes," the younger boy scoffed. Rolling his eyes, he turned back to the photographs he was rearranging across the surface of his narrow space.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto demanded. "Huh?"

"It _means_ that I just found out earlier this morning myself, so when have I had time to warn you?" Konohamaru fired back.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "That doesn't even make sense."

"Whatever." Konohamaru turned around, staring at his laughing guardians with wide, starry eyes. "I get to write an article on this, right?" he asked. "About my future cousin?"

"Hold on a minute!" Quickly sobering, Kurenai held up her hand. "What makes you think we want to announce it to the village just yet? Perhaps we want to keep it a secret for a little while longer."

"You won't be able to forever," Konohamaru sing-songed. "But as soon as you decide to announce it, can I please please _please_ write the article?"

"You're a photographer," Asuma interjected, since his wife looked a little short on patience at the moment. "What makes you think you _can_ write an article, even if you _may_?"

Konohamaru shrugged. "Naruto can do it. Can't be that hard."

Naruto's face heated furiously. "Konohamaru!" he thundered. "You're still in _school_! I had to graduate before they let me do anything major!"

Chuckling, Asuma reclined in his chair and grinned. "Well, if you really want to do it, you _may_ write the article, but under close supervision." He held up his hand to forestall Konohamaru's celebration, stopping him mid-cheer. "By Naruto. _However_, this will only happen when Kurenai and I decide we're ready to announce it. Deal?"

"Uh, yeah sure, Uncle Asuma! Deal!" Konohamaru flashed a huge grin, then cheerfully turned back to his photographs.

Naruto sat down again and said, "By the way, congratulations, Asuma, Kurenai. That's great news!" He dropped his eyes back to his article, but without really seeing it. While he felt truly, genuinely happy for his bosses, on some deep level a small, insecure part of himself thought, _I can see it now. Konohamaru is gonna be some sort of reporter prodigy, and I'm going to be left out in the cold. Probably get stuck sorting the mail or, even worse, answering the mail._ He unconsciously shuddered.

"Hey, Naruto," Asuma suddenly said from right behind him. Naruto jumped and spun around in his chair, nearly falling off it. "I can't sit still if I'm going cold turkey. C'mon and walk with me."

_Am I getting the sack already?_ skittered through Naruto's mind. "Uh, sure, Boss."

Once outside the editor stuck his hands into his jacket pockets and set a moderate pace toward a nearby park. A wooden bridge arched across the small stream that wound through it. Asuma stopped at the halfway point. Pulling out his cigarette lighter he leaned back against the railing and began idly flicking it on, then flipping the lid shut to extinguish the tiny flame, over and over again. Naruto leaned his forearms on the warm wood and watched the clear water rippling over white pebbles, waiting for his boss to speak.

"You know, Naruto," Asuma finally said, "you look more and more like your dad with every passing year. But when it comes to personality, you're more like your mom. They were a special pair, all right, and more than just colleagues when we were all working for my old man. They were our closest friends. That's why we decided that when we took over running the _Daily_, we would make Minato and Kushina full partners with us."

Naruto's breath abruptly stuck somewhere between his lungs and his throat. He turned his head slightly to look at Asuma, who continued to fiddle with his lighter.

"But they - died - before the Old Man retired. Time passed. Eventually the paper passed to us, we'd taken over raising Konohamaru in the meantime, Tsunade and Jiraiya were raising you: but we never forgot those earlier plans. And you being your parents' son, neither one of us was surprised when you started showing up around the office, trying to pester us into believing that _you _were the _Daily's_ next star reporter." With a final sharp _snick!_ Asuma shut his lighter and returned it to his pocket. "We were going to wait until you came of full age, but Kurenai's pregnancy has made us rethink things."

His shoulders sagging, Naruto thought sadly, _Here it comes,_ as his brief flare of excitement sputtered and died. He closed his eyes, wishing he could somehow close his ears and his heart, too.

"We've watched you growing up, Naruto, taken you on and trained you in the business. And neither one of us has a single doubt that you inherited all Minato and Kushina's fire as two of the best reporters we've ever known. So we talked it over with your grandparents, and they gave us the go ahead to tell you." Asuma paused to clear his throat. When he spoke again, his voice was roughter. "We've been holding your parents' partnership in trust for you. As of today, you're a junior partner in the _Konoha Daily_, with full partnership waiting for you down the road."

Naruto didn't remember moving, but suddenly he was standing very straight and facing Asuma as shock, disbelief, excitement, and finally overwhelming joy crashed through him. "I- I- Asuma, you- I-"

Asuma's lips quirked as he met Naruto's eyes for a long moment. "Yeah, well," he said gruffly, "don't let it go to your head, or anything, hear? For now and the next several years, Kurenai and I are still your bosses as _senior_ partners."

"Oh, hey, right, no problem!" Naruto hastily agreed. Whirling back to the railing, he rested his forehead on his folded arms as his overpowering emotions burst out of him in a flood of tears. A moment later he felt a large hand come to rest between his heaving shoulders, as gentle and comforting as a father's.

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><p>To Tenten's surprise, Kakashi was already in the kitchen when she got there for supper, a bento box in each of his hands. "It's much too nice an evening to stay indoors," he said cheerfully. "So I took the liberty of getting our meals to go. If you'll just bring the tea?"<p>

"Of course, big brother," she said lightly, even while wishing her insides didn't seize up automatically now at every prospect of being alone with him. Accepting a large insulated pot of tea and two cups from a kitchen worker, she followed him to a pretty little shaded fountain just beyond the kitchen gardens. As she poured tea for them, she asked, "So, did you get to see any of the festival? Or were you cooped up inside the estate all evening?"

"I saw most of the opening ceremony from the top of the Tower." Kakashi handed her a box. "Can't say I was really interested in anything beyond that - after all, I'm older than I used to be, so the games and rides and such don't appeal to me so much." He ate a couple of pieces of sushi, then asked, "What did you think of it?"

Tenten took a quick sip of tea. "The opening ceremony was really, really impressive. I still get goosebumps remembering it: the darkness being chased away by the lights, the gongs and the drums and the flutes. How do they _do_ that, anyway? Make it look like the light spills down over the edge of the cliff and then washes over the village?"

Kakashi chuckled. "I asked one of the monks that very same question once. Thought he wouldn't mind telling me since we'd gone to school together and was-"

"-An old friend of yours," Tenten interrupted with a giggle.

"Don't be impertinent, Panda," he said with a grin. "I _do_ have a lot of friends in the village. He said he'd be glad to tell me, except then he'd have to kill me-"

"Okay, okay. It's a secret. Give me your cup, and I'll refill it." She suited actions to words, saying, "However they do it, it was incredible. We had a fantastically good view, too. Lord Sasuke took us up to the top of the police headquarters steps. He said he wanted us to have the best possible view since it was Lady Hinata's and my first time seeing it."

"How did she, er, handle being out in a crowd that size? Given her sheltered upbringing, I mean."

"Given that her father's kept her locked up on the estate most of her life, you mean?" Tenten fired back, then sighed. "Sorry, I know, I know, it's not your fault- Actually I think that's why Lord Sasuke took us up there; even though she did a great job hiding it, he could tell she was having some trouble. I know he kept giving her these little glances without seeming to as we were walking from the estate to the plaza."

"H- Well." Kakashi quickly altered the sound he started to make into a word. "What is your impression of Lord Sasuke, Panda?"

Tenten chased a last few grains of rice with her chopsticks and took her time replying. "I'll admit, from what Ino said about him the night she stayed over, I expected a jerky spoiled rich kid. But that might have been because she used to have a _massive_ crush on him, and he made it abundantly clear he wasn't interested. He wasn't anything like that, though. He was polite, pleasant, attentive to milady's comfort," she shrugged. "A well brought up, high-clan gentleman, I guess you would say. Now, are you going to ask me what Lady Hinata thought of him, big brother? And if you do, are you asking for yourself, or at Lord Hiashi's request?"

Kakashi gave her a long, steady look before saying softly yet sternly, "That _was_ impertinence, Tenten, and completely uncalled for. Are you losing your objectivity? Do I need to remind you of who and what we are; of our purpose in being here?"

Tenten's cheeks flooded with heat and her eyes filled with tears. Setting aside her empty bento box she bowed very, very low. "I'm - I'm sorry, Kakashi," she said, and heard him sigh just before she felt him flick her hair buns.

"I have been remiss in teaching you, Panda Bear," he said as she sat up again. She raised her gaze cautiously to his solemn face. "You have never been in a prolonged situation like this. Add to that Lady Hinata's sweet personality- I should have warned you how _easy_ it might be for your professionalism to be eroded without you even realizing it. It's hard, I know, but you must constantly remember you are here to be Lady Hinata's bodyguard, Tenten: Not her friend."

"Yes, big brother," she said in a subdued voice, knowing in her heart that she lied. _And he doesn't even have a suspicion that I'm in contact with Neji. . . ._

He smiled at her. "No more tears, little sister. It's a learning situation, one I should have addressed the last time we shared a mealtime."

Tenten smiled shakily back at him. When they parted ways to take up their duties again, Kakashi gave her quick hug as he whispered, "Love you, Panda Bear."

"Love you too, big brother." She hugged him back, a dull ache throbbing behind her eyes.

Hinata seemed equally pensive when they rejoined company outside the dining room and made their way back to the heiress's suite. Fortunately she did not seem any more disposed to conversation than Tenten, whose headache steadily worsened as the evening deepened. A soak in the hot tub did nothing to relieve it. By the time the two young women retired, the one to her bed, the other to her futon, the latter felt desperately grateful for the dark and quiet. Closing her eyes she set herself to a set of meditation exercises, willing the pain to ease and sleep to come-

-Only to wake an indeterminate amount of time later with shattering pain extending from her head to the small of her back, accompanied by horrific nausea. Half-staggering, half-crawling, she made it to the toilet room before being violently ill, somehow having the presence of mind to lock the door behind her.

"Tenten! Tenten!" Through the sound of her own retching, she heard Hinata calling her name as she tried to open the locked door.

"Hina, no, go 'way," she croaked back her first opportunity between bouts of sickness. "You can't - be - 'round me-"

Time dragged miserably past. The point came where Tenten could only lay on the cold tile floor, too weak to lift herself when dry heaves racked her. When blackness finally drank down her consciousness, she yielded to it gratefully.

_Lights. Voices. Hands touching her, lifting her, moving her._ Tenten feebly tried to bat them away. She cracked her eyelids open the merest slit; groaned and shut them again at an overwhelming impression of pinkness.

"Tenten! Tenten, listen to me!" A woman's voice, but not Hinata's. This one was crisper, firmer, carrying a note of unmistakable authority. "Lady Hinata is _safe._ Now we need to take care of _you_. I'm Haruno Sakura, a Healer, and we're going to get you all cleaned up and feeling better, okay?"

Tenten forced her eyes open again, tried to force her mind to take in what she was being told as well. "Haruno - Sakura?" she repeated faintly, a dim bubble of memory rising slowly to the surface of her mind. "F-Forehead?"

The other woman laughed. "Well, I see you've met my good friend Ino. Yes, that's right. Relax now, and leave everything to me."

Tenten sank into a state where time passed in a hazy, in-and-out blur. Aware on some level of the Healer Sakura's ministering presence, she spent most of that period drifting either on the thin edge of consciousness, or in utter blackness.

Came a time, though, when she suddenly awoke feeling weak and drained, but indefinably better. It was night-time. She heard the sound of soft steady breathing in the room with her. Turning her head on her pillow, she saw in the faint light from a single lamp Sakura sleeping on a pallet not too far from her own. And between them-

Tenten blinked, not sure her eyes were working correctly. On the floor between them lay a single, fiery red amaryllis blossom. She stretched out a shaking hand to pick it up, and realized there was a very small piece of paper tied to the stem. Tilting it, she read the three tiny words written on it: _Feel better soon._

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ A shorter chapter, and not quite as much going on, but I really like the _feel_ of this chapter. It's really emotional, with a lot of expanding on some of the characters and their relationships with their peers, superiors, and family members. I especially like the scene with Asuma and Naruto, it so perfectly throws into relief the fact that he's not a kid anymore - he's an adult now, and able to accept more responsibility. I like that touch, especially compared to how he's maturing as a character in the manga/anime. Anyway, I'll stop rambling for now, except to say I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I'll see you for the next update!


	17. Fragile

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _DarkAnonymous324_, _PolkadottedAngels_, _rao hyuga 18_, _runjumpfly07_, and _IcedCupcakes_for all your amazing reviews, and to everyone who's added it to their favorites and alerts lists, as well!

**Author's Note:** Once again, I'm so sorry for the delay. There's an additional note at the bottom that better explains what's going on, and while things are kind of rocky right now for a lot of reasons, I promise that I'm trying really hard to get the updates out as quickly as I can. In the meantime, thank you so much for your patience, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter XVII~*<strong>

_~Fragile~_

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><p>"The most important thing to remember is to take things slowly for the next day or two," Sakura said as she prepared to leave early the next morning. "Clear broth, rice porridge, tea. The key word is <em>bland<em>. I expect you to make Tenten stick to that diet, Lady Hinata."

"I w-will," Hinata said solemnly, adding with the hint of a twinkle in her eyes, "If she does not d-do so of her own accord, I shall _order_ her to, or she will f-face my v-very grave displeasure."

Sitting crosslegged on her futon, Tenten made a wry face while rubbing her hands over her sore sides. "Trust me, the way I feel right now _nothing_ sounds good to me," she said. "Sakura, thank you so much again for all you've done for me. And," she ducked her head, feeling a hot prickling behind her eyes, "I do sincerely apologize-"

Sakura laughed. "Oh, Tenten, stop it! I've _told_ you I wasn't offended when you used Ino's nickname for me! Now, I'm leaving you some medicine to take in case you start feeling nauseated again, and you might once you put something into that tender stomach. Just keep in mind you'll be doing your lady a disservice if you need it, but don't take it." She then turned and bowed to Hinata. "Thank you for letting me stay here and sleep the rest of the night after Tenten stabilized, milady."

"I am v-very grateful you could come s-so quickly," Hinata said. "And that you knew how t-to unlock the d-door with a hairpin." She gave Tenten a reproachful look.

"She was still protecting you the only way she could," Sakura said simply as she picked up her healer's bag. "Well, I'd better get back to the hospital. See you both around Konoha sometime," she winked one of her apple-green eyes, "maybe even at Akimichi's!"

_That's right,_ Tenten thought with a jolt of realization. _She was in the same class at the Academy with Lord Sasuke, Ino, and the others. She must be in on it, too-_

The pink-haired medic turned with a wave and reached to open the door to the private sitting room. Just before she touched it, it slid sharply open, framing a tall, grey-clad, dark-haired man. Uttering a surprised squeak she skipped rapidly backwards to avoid colliding with him as he swept a couple of steps into Hinata's bedroom and halted, looking thunderous.

Weakened and already emotionally shaky, Tenten's guilty thoughts instantly rushed to the amaryllis - and incriminating note - hidden in her clothes chest. An irrational panic crashed through her, crushing the breath from her lungs. _He knows! Somehow he knows Neji was here, he must've been caught! What will happen to him, am I going to have to watch him die?_ A horribly vivid image siezed her mind: Neji kneeling, an indistinct black figure towering over him; the evil hiss and flash of a katana slicing toward his bared neck; an impossibly crimson fountain of blood- The room tilted and spun around her. She felt herself sagging forward as her vision went dark at the edges.

"Tenten!" As though from a great distance, she heard Hinata sharply cry her name, her light voice underscored by a man's deeper tones. Strong hands seized her shoulders in a firm grasp, easing her down onto her futon as Sakura crisply issued orders from just over her head.

"M'lady, a cold washcloth, please. You, sir, elevate her legs, a forty-five degree angle should do very well- Thank you, milady, now if you'll just put that across her forehead while I get a little something from my bag-"

An acrid, sinus-torturing odor exploded up her nostrils. Tenten gasped, choked, coughed as awareness came roaring back. It took a moment before she could focus on Sakura and Hinata, both of whom were bending over her, the latter looking very worried; another to realize Kakashi knelt at the foot of her futon, firmly clasping her ankles as he supported her bare feet against his chest, the corner of his eye crinkled in concern as he steadily watched her.

"Wh-what-?" She tried to speak, but her lips seemed incapable of forming even the one word. Her brother tightened his hold on her feet comfortingly as he smoothed his thumbs across the tops of her insteps, calming her and distracting her from the tension clogging the air in the room.

"Hinata, stand up and move away from there!" Lord Hiashi commanded harshly. For an anxious couple of heartbeats Tenten saw fire flicker in the heiress's lilac-tinged eyes, and feared her friend was going to defy that order. With a frustrated little sigh, though, Hinata obediently rose to her feet and took a couple of small steps backward. Once she'd done so he went on in that same hard voice, "I received a report this morning saying a healer was summoned to Lady Hinata's quarters during the night to treat a serious illness. I expected to find Tsunade attending to her. What is going on here? Who are you, girl?"

"Sh-she is Haruno Sakura, F-Father," Hinata said before Sakura could speak, "a healer and Lady Tsunade's special apprentice. When T-Tenten was taken ill in the n-night-"

Tenten caught a flicker of motion out of the corner of her eye as Lord Hiashi made a sharp gesture to silence his daughter. Sensing the arctic weight of the village ruler's regard shift to her, she experienced a sudden impulse to throw herself into the shelter of her brother's arms and bury her face against his chest.

Sakura patted Tenten's arm reassuringly, tucked the broken ammonia capsule into a pouch on her belt and stood. "No cause for alarm, Lord Hiashi," she said matter-of-factly with a quick bow. "Just a mild case of food poisoning - though I'm sure it didn't feel so mild to Tenten! - from sushi prepared on an improperly cleaned work surface at one of the booths set up for the festival. We've treated dozens of other cases at the hospital, and have already identified the source: a vendor from outside Konoha, who has been banned from applying for another permit for the next three years."

"Hn." Tenten couldn't help it; her toes curled reflexively at the sound of that hard, hated syllable, digging into Kakashi's chest. He casually raised his left hand to rub the scarred lids of his sightless eye. _Watch out_, that meant; and also, _Be careful_. After giving her feet a couple of light, quick squeezes, he gently lowered them, stood and resumed his place just behind Lord Hiashi. "I'm sure you understand my concern," Hinata's father said coldly. Turning, he stalked from the suite, leaving a stunned silence behind him.

Sakura regained her voice first. "Well!" she exclaimed. "That was-" She cut herself off with a guilty glance towards Hinata. Tenten looked that way, too, and saw her tapping the tips of her index fingers together in that familiar, nervous mannerism, an extremely troubled expression on her face.

_Yes. Yes, it was,_ Tenten thought, torn between relief that Neji's risky nocturnal visit remained undiscovered and disquiet over what had just occurred. _Her father seemed _disappointed _to find me sick instead of Hina. I'm pretty sure she thinks so, too. . . Is that what Kakashi meant with his warning? And if she had been sick- Would he have tried to blame her illness on Lord Sasuke and the rest of the Uchiha?_

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><p>In the wake of Fugaku's arrogantly high-handed setting of their wedding date, it seemed to Itachi as though the days of growing, fragile friendship between him and Temari existed only in his memory.<p>

By the time he saw her again at breakfast the next morning, she'd retreated into her sand princess persona: polite, but distant and oh so elusive. Gone were the quiet sunset strolls, the conversations interspersed with increasingly companionable silences. The only time he spent in her company was during meals, when at least one of her brothers was present; after which she would immediately excuse herself in order to see to the "numerous" things that _had_ to be done before she could journey back to Konoha with Itachi to prepare for their wedding.

The situation did not appreciably improve once they'd departed Suna, either. Even though riding side by side, they were still in the company of others: most notably Temari's mousy attendant Matsuri, who had suddenly become omnipresent. Inwardly condemning his paternal parent to the most miserable perdition imaginable, Itachi accepted that for the present, at least until they got back to Konoha, the only place he could be alone with his betrothed was in his thoughts and dreams. He steadfastly refused to accept he'd never win Temari's heart, choosing to view the situation as a temporary setback. Although she'd still been a long way from loving him when Fugaku's edict arrived, he strongly believed she'd at least come to care for him as a friend. So gently, patiently, he set himself to rebuilding that relationship as though from the beginning, while continuing to look forward to the day when friendship would surely grow into so much more.

As a precaution, Lord Gaara ordered the healer Noriyuki to accompany the expanded party that traveled from Suna to Konoha; an addition Itachi welcomed since it allowed the two men, who'd become good friends during the course of Itachi's recovery, to continue their custom of playing shougi before retiring for the night. On the second night out from Suna Temari, who'd been an interested spectator to their matches prior to withdrawing again into her protective shell, quietly rejoined them. Neither man remarked on it; but Itachi fell asleep that night cherishing the tiny spark of hope warming his heart.

Three wearing days later, they arrived in Konoha. Mikoto and Sasuke met them in the courtyard of the Uchiha estate, Sasuke hanging back slightly as their mother tearfully grabbed Itachi in a rib-bruising embrace. When she moved on to greet Temari and Noriyuki and thank them for their care of him, his brother took her place.

"Can't let you go anywhere by yourself," Sasuke muttered in his ear, pulling him in for quick, hard hug.

Itachi breathed a tired laugh. "It's good to see you again, too," he said. The brothers followed Mikoto, Temari, and Noriyuki through the orderly melee of people sorting themselves, luggage, and horses out of the courtyard. As they mounted the wide steps to the house's main entrance, he asked, "How have things been here?"

"Interesting," Sasuke replied with a sideways look. "It can wait until later." And when Itachi returned the younger man's look with the addition of a lifted brow, "Seriously, it can wait. Enjoy your homecoming and rest up while you can, big brother."

Itachi got a small sense of what Sasuke meant much later after the evening meal (from which Fugaku was thankfully absent), when it was only Mikoto, her sons and Temari drinking tea together. To Itachi's dismay, arrangements for the approaching wedding dominated his mother's conversation. And not only on his own account: His deepening sensitivity to Temari's feelings led him to try several times to change the subject to different, more comfortable topics, but had little success even with Sasuke valiantly seconding his efforts. Mikoto would not be diverted. As unstoppably as the sun moving from east to west, she returned to it. Food, flowers, guest lists, sittings for a formal portrait - he could sense his betrothed's nerves winding tighter and tighter as the flow of details became a deluge.

The breaking point came when Mikoto started talking about the Uchiha _shiromuku _and _tsunokakushi_, the traditional wedding kimono and headpiece. "You'll look so lovely, Temari," she said, her dark eyes getting misty. "For the last two hundred fifty years every bride of the Uchiha heir has worn it-"

"Thank you, Lady Mikoto," Temari interrupted in a brittle voice. "I already have a kimono that I will be wearing for the ceremony."

For just a second, Mikoto looked taken aback. Speedily recovering, she said in a coaxing tone, "I'm sure it's beautiful, too, even if it doesn't carry the weight of tradition with it ours has. Perhaps you can wear it for the formal portrait we've commissioned, or even at the beginning of the reception, then you can change into your _iro-uchikake_ for-"

Itachi saw that Temari's eyes had gone as flat and hard as the gemstone whose color they shared. "My mother wore it at her wedding. I intend to wear it at mine." She stood. "If you will please excuse me now: I'm very tired, and would like to retire." Without waiting for a response, she turned and swept out of the room.

Itachi swiftly got to his feet. "If you will excuse me as well, Mother," he said, and strode quickly after his fianceé. She must have broken into a run, because she was halfway up the staircase leading to the upper floors before he reached the foot of it. "Temari!" he called as he took the steps two at a time. "Please wait."

She halted a few steps from the top but kept her back turned to him, her posture rigid, rejecting. "I'm sorry if I offended your mother, Itachi," she said in a choked voice, "but I can't - _deal_ with any more of this right now."

Itachi made himself stop just past the halfway point, well outside her personal space. "I'm sorry if she offended _you_," he said gently. "I've never known her to be so tactless."

He saw her lift a hand to swipe at her cheeks. "She's excited." The merest breath of a bitter laugh drifted down to him. "At least _someone_ is."

Briefly bowing his head and wincing at how hard that bit, Itachi quickly regained his self-control. With something of the sense of putting a knife to his own throat, he asked, "Do you want to postpone the wedding, Temari?"

A long moment passed with no response from her. Just as he wondered if she'd even heard him, she turned her upper body sharply to look at him over her shoulder, an expression of disbelief on her face. "Do I- What? Are you _serious_? But your mother- Your _father_-"

He mounted one step closer to her, holding her gaze with his. "I'll deal with them. Don't you remember what I told you in Suna, Temari? How it is my privilege as well as my prerogative to protect you?"

Temari very slowly turned the rest of the way around to face him. She put one hand on the banister, gripping it so tightly he saw her knuckles whiten. Her lips parted; he braced himself to hear her say _Yes!_ But then her shoulders almost imperceptibly sagged and she breathed out a long sigh. "Thank you, Itachi, but- It's going to happen anyway, whether sooner as planned, or later if we postpone. I don't want to be responsible for causing a rift between you and your parents, or the turmoil you would have to needlessly endure. No," she shook her head at him when he opened his mouth to protest, "I truly do appreciate your offer, but no. The wedding will take place as planned on the seventeenth of next month."

All Itachi could do in the face of her determination was bow and say quietly, "Very well, then. I won't delay you from your rest any longer. Good night, Temari."

"Good night," she replied, turning to finish her ascent of the stairs.

Tiredly wishing he could retire to his own quarters, Itachi instead returned to where he'd left his mother and brother to perform more damage control with Mikoto. When he got there, though, he found to his equal startlement and dread only Sasuke still sitting at the low table. "Mother?" he asked.

"Upset," his brother replied, meeting his eyes directly. "I think she'd talked herself into believing everything was going to go fairy-tale smooth once you got back from Suna. Now she knows it isn't. But she'll get over it. Temari?"

Itachi shrugged, not wanting to talk about what had just transpired between the two of them. "Upset," he said. "Probably wishing she could break something- I've had about all I can take for the day. Sorry to abandon you, Sasuke, but-"

"Actually, I was thinking about taking a nice long soak in the bath house." His brother stood up and ran an appraising eye over him. "You look like you could use some unwinding time yourself. Care to join me?"

"Yes," Itachi nodded slowly, "yes, I think I will. I didn't have time for more than a quick sponge-down earlier." Together they left the main house by a side door, opting to take the quicker route across the sideyard separating the newer wing with their quarters from the older part. "I'll admit I really missed our bath house while in Suna. I didn't realize how spoiled I am by the abundance of water we enjoy in Konoha. The bathing amenities were adequate, but after all, it's a village in the middle of a desert."

The brothers didn't speak much as they washed prior to slipping into the steaming water in the deep pool at the heart of the bath house. Pillowing his head with a folded towel on the stone edge, Itachi placed another, this one cool and damp, across his forehead as he let himself relax under the almost unbearably hot caress of the water. He made a little sound of pure enjoyment deep in his throat, heard Sasuke echo it from his left.

After a few minutes Sasuke said in a very low voice, "I escorted Lady Hinata to the festival while you were gone." Itachi glanced over to see his brother staring off through the wisps of vapor curling from the water's surface, an unreadable look on his narrow face. "She's almost terminally shy, she stutters, crowds bother her. And she throws shuriken."

Wondering if he'd heard what he thought he'd heard, Itachi blinked a couple of times. He turned so he could rest his forearms on the towel he'd been using as a pillow. "I think the heat must be getting to me. She - what?"

"Throws shuriken," Sasuke repeated, and now he was grinning very faintly. He rolled over as well, echoing Itachi. "Quite passably, too: Well enough to win me a stuffed animal. Her bodyguard - Hatake Kakashi's little sister - is teaching her. Says she's starting Lady Hinata on knives next."

Sasuke was clearly intrigued by the heiress's unexpected proficiency with shuriken. Perhaps, Itachi thought much later as he drifted on the edge of sleep, his brother's courtship would take a smoother course than his own.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Note:**_ Again, so sorry for the delays recently, but I promise that my beta and I are trying to get updates out as quickly as we can. I want to thank you all so much for your patience, though, with our somewhat unsteady posting schedule, and for all the sweet and encouraging reviews you've left. We really, _really _appreciate it. Until next time (hopefully sooner, rather than later!), thank you again, and we hope you enjoyed this chapter!

_**Co-Author's Note:**_ Hi, I'm Mama Jo, fyd818's beta and co-author for this story. I wanted to apologize to all you wonderful people for the delays in posting recent chapters. I'm going through a bit of a rough patch with my health, and my concentration isn't up to par right now. But things should be improving soon, and we'll get back on schedule. In the meantime, thank you all for your patience and understanding, and the great reviews!


	18. Colorful

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _rao hyuga 18,_ _PolkadottedAngels_, _DarkAnonymous324_, and _Callisto aneX_ for all your reviews, and for sticking with me through the somewhat rocky update schedule I've had lately! You all - as well as those who have added this story to their alert and favorite lists - are some of the most awesome readers in the world!

**Author's Note:** ...A month after my last update, I humbly come to you with the next. Again, so sorry it's taken so long, but February is kind of a notoriously bad month for my family. If something is going to go wrong, it will happen in this month. So - I guess I'm saying hopefully things will pick up again from here. But, meanwhile, thank you all _so much_ for your patience, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter XVIII~*<strong>

_~Colorful~_

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><p>To Itachi's intense relief the stiff, careful courtesy between his mother and his fiancée had eased by breakfast to a more natural level. Since it was the day of their first portrait sitting, he went to his quarters after the meal to change into his most formal, black silk, five <em>kamon<em> kimono - the one he'd wear for his wedding - while Mikoto went with Temari to her rooms to help her dress. Unsurprised when he returned to the main house to find the women not yet downstairs, he started on a slow circuit of the entry hall, idly perusing the generations of portraits hanging there more as a way to kill time than from any real interest since he'd been familiar with them since his childhood. But as he moved from one to the next to the next, a subtly unsettling pattern he'd never noticed before began to form. The formally clad, sober-visaged men, while obviously related, were just as clearly different people; whereas all the women- The women- He suddenly frowned.

The women all looked the same. Portrait to portrait, swathed in the multiple layers of the Uchiha _shiromuku_,with the _tsunokakushi_ covering their hair and their faces concealed by opaque white makeup, their brides appeared virtually interchangeable. He halted in front of his parents' portrait. The painted Fugaku, though younger, still looked very much like the living original. But he saw nothing of his beautiful, vivacious mother in the woman standing next to him: Only another white-robed and -crowned, white-faced doll.

_Not Temari, though,_ he thought, only vaguely wondering what her own wedding regalia would look like compared with the Uchiha's. _Not that it'll matter anyway. Sasuke will be the next head of the clan. His and Hinata's portrait will hang there, not Temari's and mine. . ._

"Itachi!" Mikoto's voice called down from the top of the staircase. "Are you down there?"

Shaking off this melancholy turn of thought, "Yes, Mother," he called back as he turned to face the staircase.

"Good! I want you to close your eyes, and not open them until I say you may! Are they closed?"

"Yes, Mother." Suiting actions to words, he smiled a little at the girlish excitement and enthusiasm shining through Mikoto's tone. Sometimes she seemed to him to be not that much older than Sasuke. He heard light footfalls coming down the stairs, nearly hidden by the distinctive whispering rustle of heavy silk, and his heart started beating a little faster despite himself. What would his Temari look like?

"Open your eyes now, my dearest!" his mother all but sang. Nearly holding his breath with anticipation, Itachi obeyed - and immediately went lightheaded with shock. Only the turquoise eyes regarding him warily from the white face confronting him were still his betrothed's; otherwise it was as though one of his foremothers had left her portrait to stand before him. As he fought with every ounce of self-control he possessed to prevent the revulsion he felt from either overwhelming him or showing itself in his expression, Mikoto continued happily, "Isn't Temari every bit as beautiful as I told you she would be in the Uchiha kimono and headdress?"

Rebellion flared through Itachi's heart and soul, fierce as flame; he was _not_ going to let this happen! Somehow managing to keep that concealed as well, he put an arm around his mother's shoulders and said, "Temari is always beautiful. Just as you are, Mother." He smiled warmly at the two women, while rapidly turning over strategies in his mind. "As I waited for you to come down I noticed how dull all the backgrounds are in the older portraits. That made me think: What if we have ours done in the garden, next to the new Desert Rose trees? Granted, they aren't blooming right now, but it shouldn't be any problem for the artist to come back when they are and add in the blossoms later. I know it's not exactly traditional, but-"

"Tradition isn't everything, you know!" Mikoto stretched up on tiptoe to plant a quick kiss on his cheek. "That's a wonderful idea, Itachi, and so sweet! Don't you think so, too, Temari?"

"Yes, it is," Temari agreed, while never taking her eyes from his.

"The only thing is," Itachi allowed a wistfully apologetic note to color his voice he went on, "I'm already sweltering miserably in these clothes. And it must be so much worse for you, Temari, since you're not accustomed to the humidity. I hesitate to ask this, but- Would either of you divinely lovely ladies be offended if I suggested we change into something a little less likely to cause a heatstroke for one of us? Temari, did you bring that elegant purple gown you wore to Akimichi's?"

Even as a flicker of uncertainty crossed Mikoto's face, Temari replied, "As a matter of fact, yes, I did." She hesitated for a moment, then added softly, "Mostly because I remember what a wonderful evening we had."

_Does she really mean what she said?_ he wondered._ Or is she only playing along because she knows what I'm doing?_ Although he tried Itachi could get no sense of what Temari thought or felt; the opaque white makeup covering her face from hairline to chin, except for the small, vividly red bow of her mouth, might as well have been a mask. But regardless of her motivation, she'd evidently said precisely the right thing. Mikoto only wavered for a brief moment before sighing and giving in.

"You are an unprincipled, conniving rogue, my son," she said severely, promptly spoiling the effect by affectionately patting his cheek. "But of course I've known that ever since you finagled your father and me into sending you - and your brother, too - to Konoha Academy rather than being privately tutored here at home. Now scoot, hurry and change while I help Temari do the same. We don't have very much time before the artist is supposed to arrive."

Grinning a little, Itachi bent to brush a swift kiss on his mother's forehead. As she turned to follow his mother back up the stairs, Temari gave him one brief, unreadable glance. He tried to analyze it while he strode swiftly across the courtyard to his quarters, shrugging out of his _haori_ and tossing it aside as soon as he slid open the door. Functioning on autopilot he stripped off the remaining four pieces of the formal kimono, his mind still fully occupied with what had just happened. _Why? Why did Temari come down wearing the Uchiha kimono and headdress? Not to mention that horrible white makeup!_ He raked his fingers through his hair to loosen it from its scalp-tugging traditional topknot and quickly confined it again in its usual ponytail. _Did Mother go to her after we parted on the staircase? I'm sure she would have wanted to apologize to Temari for upsetting her._ A reluctant chuckle escaped him as he pulled on black trousers, hesitating for half a breath before opting for a white silk shirt with loose, flowing sleeves rather than the black one he originally considered. _Mother's a fine one to call me an unprincipled rogue!_ _Yes, she must have done, and somehow at the same time coaxed Temari into wearing that getup for the portrait since she won't be wearing it for the wedding. _Slipping on a long black vest with a small Uchiha crest embroidered in red and white on each shoulder below the collarbones, he freed his hair with a final flick of the wrist, then ran a rapid eye over his reflection. _Ah, well, no harm done. _

Recrossing the courtyard Itachi entered the house through a side door. As he approached the staircase again he heard footsteps pattering closer and closer along the main hall leading to the front of the house. Turning his head that way he saw one of the household staff, a middle-aged woman named Yuka, who halted and bobbed a quick bow as soon as she saw him.

"Lord Itachi," she said, "the artist is here."

"Thank you." Itachi glanced toward the head of the stairs. "Please notify my mother of his arrival, and tell her we will meet her and Lady Temari in the garden. He is in the receiving room just off the main entrance, yes?" Dismissing her with an inclination of his head when she nodded, he cast another quick look upwards, hoping to get a glimpse, be it ever so brief, of his fiancée. _Stop acting like a teenager with his first crush,_ he chided himself as he walked to greet the artist his mother had engaged. _You'll see her very soon._

Sliding open the receiving room's door, Itachi stepped inside. Someone was standing in front of the east-facing window. Or at least he assumed it was a person. Silhouetted against the glare of early morning light he might have been no more than a life-sized black paper cut-out. Then the person turned and took on normal dimensions.

The man facing him looked as though he couldn't be much, if any, older than Sasuke. From the high neck of his top to the cuffs of his long pants, the artist wore stark unrelieved black, with eyes and hair equally as dark: a dramatic, jolting contrast to his bone-pale skin. Itachi stifled a whimsical urge to ask the man if he'd spent his entire life in the shadows, because it certainly seemed like he hadn't seen a ray of sun in his entire life.

"Welcome. I am Uchiha Itachi," Itachi said, offering a quick bow of welcome. "Thank you for honoring us with your talent."

Bowing in return the artist smiled, an oddly artificial expression lacking any real emotion. "It is you who honor me, Lord Itachi," he replied. "I am Sai. Where should I set up?"

Stepping back, Itachi motioned for the artist to accompany him. "Lady Temari will be along momentarily," he said, thinking at the same time, _I hope._ He darted a quick glance leading toward the interior of the house, still empty of any presence - female or otherwise - and then turned toward the door. "If you'll please come with me to the garden."

Sai blinked once, a gleam of emotion - excitement perhaps? or annoyance, or simply resignation? - shimmering through his ink-dark eyes too quickly to be identified; but said calmly as he gathered up his pack of supplies, easel and canvas, "Of course, my lord." Itachi led the way out the door, across another courtyard, and through the arched trellis doorway into the garden. A few quick turns brought them to the newly transplanted rose trees, thickly green with fresh life. "I had these trees planted for Lady Temari because of their name, Desert Rose," he explained. "I thought it would be appropriate to have our portrait painted here. Even though they're not in bloom now, would it be possible for you to fill that part in, later...?" He let the question trail off.

"I have seen them before," Sai said, already at work setting up his easel, paints, and canvas. "The Yamanaka commissioned me to paint a poster for their shop advertising the new rose. I have all my preliminary sketches still, so I will not have to wait to add blossoms." He glanced up with another strangely stiff smile that Itachi thought might have been meant to be reassuring. "I'll have no trouble at all roughing them in during our early sittings." Lapsing into silence he began pacing slowly in a narrow arc, studying the area with calculating eyes.

Itachi turned to look back the way they'd come, wishing Mikoto and Temari would hurry up and arrive. A scraping sound pulled his attention back to the artist, who was in the process of moving a contemplation seat - a short, slightly backward-tipped wooden bench with an attached footrest - from its original location to a place between the two rose trees. _Well, evidently we won't have to spend hours standing in one place,_ he thought with a mental shrug as he went back to watching for the ladies. And within a couple of minutes his vigilance was rewarded as they came into view around a bend in the path. His lips curved in a warm smile as his eyes drank in the vision of his sand princess. She didn't return his smile, though, her expression remaining as enigmatic without the white makeup as with it.

After introducing Sai to Temari, Mikoto and the artist went off to one side, the latter gesturing fluidly as he spoke in a low voice. Itachi stole a sideways glance at Temari, gently fanning herself while gazing at different features of the garden around them; anywhere, seemingly, except at him. Her cheeks glowed with a rosy tint under their tan, whether from scrubbing or emotion, he couldn't tell. Mikoto and Sai exchanged bows, then his mother came to lay a hand briefly against the side his and Temari's faces.

"I will see you later, my dear ones," she said, a mischievous dimple peeking around the corner of a sweet smile. She left the garden. Itachi gazed after her, his brows drawn together ever so slightly in a faint frown. _Now why,_ he wondered, _did Mother look like that?_

"Lord Itachi, Lady Temari." Once Sai had their attention he gestured to the bench. "Please come sit." When Itachi held back to allow Temari to take her seat first, the artist shook his head. "You first, my lord. After I finish positioning you, I will position Lady Temari, then make any necessary adjustments to your poses. And it will help greatly if at the following sittings you each remember your poses."

Awkward as it made him feel, Itachi submitted to the artist's directions and occasional light touch. After what seemed like a very long time but probably wasn't, Sai turned his head toward Temari and said, "Now, my lady, please come and take your place on Lord Itachi's lap so I can pose you."

_On my- What? Where?_ Itachi's eyes instantly snapped over to lock onto Temari, who appeared frozen in shock. Without willing it, his muscles tensed to launch him onto his feet, but Sai's outstretched hand prevented him.

"Please do not move, Lord Itachi," he said, pleasantly yet with an underlying note of command. Apparently oblivious to the reactions he'd caused, he kept his dark eyes fixed on Temari's face and his lips curved in a patently fake smile. The combination proved to be oddly compelling; moving as though sleepwalking, Temari took the few steps needful to bring her to the bench. She stiffly, gingerly, seated herself on Itachi's lap. "Thank you," Sai said. "Now put your arm around his neck, milady - like so," he mimed what he wanted to see, "while your other hand holds your fan just so. Now, my lord, place your left arm around her waist, just here, while resting your right hand on top of her left." He stepped back to study the effect of his instructions, then shook his head. "Try slipping your hand under hers, my lord, as though you are also holding the fan- Yes, I like that much better. Now, Lady Temari, if you will tilt your head sideways and rest it against Lord Itachi's- Hmmm. Yes. Perfect." He took up his place at his easel, adding almost as an afterthought, "For this sitting you may converse with each other. Otherwise, do not move." He set to work.

Far from taking advantage of this permission, silence settled over them, wrapping them in separate shrouds. Itachi tried to keep very, very still as he fought to keep from turning his eyes that oh-so-slight degree to the left in order to check the expression on Temari's face. The slight yet solid reality of her on his lap, in his arms, made his pulse rate soar. Could she feel his heart pounding within the confines of his chest? His palms and fingers, tingling with the warmth of her body through the thin silk of her kimono, ached to stroke her with gentle caresses. Did her skin prickle at all in response to the heat building in his hands? And as for the scent of her-! The jasmine perfume she wore intoxicated him to the point of nearly _driving him to insanity_. If only he could nuzzle his face against her neck and breathe deeply; brush his lips along the slender, graceful column of her throat; trace the line of her jaw with kisses until he could possess her mouth with his own- Itachi's ears began to buzz. His vision greyed around the edges even as the colors toward the center grew abnormally bright.

"Why couldn't you have left well enough alone?"

It took several seconds for Temari's faint whisper - let alone the sense of her words - to register with Itachi. Wishing he could shake his head to clear it, he carefully whispered back, "Leave what alone? What do you mean?"

Her bosom rose slightly and fell again as she released a frustrated sigh, prompting him to close his eyes for a moment. "I went to Lady Mikoto late yesterday evening and offered to wear the full Uchiha wedding outfit for the portrait. I - am very fond of your mother. I know I did not behave well, and I wanted to make amends to her."

"And that means more to me than I can possibly say." Yielding to temptation, Itachi shifted his gaze to her face and saw something very like hurt behind her princess persona. Choosing his words very carefully he went on, "Beautiful as you were as a traditional Uchiha bride, Temari, I must I confess that I very much prefer for you to look like _you_."

Temari's eyes went very wide as they cut sharply to the right and met his, their color softening almost imperceptibly from flat turquoise to a gentler shade of teal. At the same time some of the rigidity left her body. "Thank you, Itachi," she whispered, the merest breath. Nor did she make any effort to look away again for the remainder of the sitting.

It came as a bit of a shock when Sai eventually announced that the light had changed too much for him to continue working. "I will return at the same time tomorrow," he said as he tidied away his materials. He picked up the canvas last, making sure to keep it turned away from the portrait's subjects. "Please allow me to remind you to keep your poses fixed in your memories. It will save much time." He bowed and left.

Itachi assisted Temari to stand, then stiffly got to his own feet. He kept a light, steadying hand on the small of her back as she rolled her neck in circle and then stretched. "'Please keep your poses fixed in your memories,'" she mimicked and then groaned. "Like we have any choice. I thought my body was going to _lock up_ in that position!"

Wisely, Itachi said nothing as he eased the kinks in his own muscles. _It won't be a problem for me, either,_ he thought as they slowly started along the path back to the house. _Because despite the torment it causes me, having you in my arms like that feels like the most natural thing in the world._

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><p>"D-do you really think he checks every d-day to see if you've p-put a white rose over the doorway?" Hinata asked, a wistful note in her voice.<p>

Tenten stepped back to examine her handiwork. "He'd have to, wouldn't he?" she replied pragmatically. "Otherwise how would he know to meet me at the gazebo?" _Or that I'd been so ill?_ But in contrast to her matter-of-fact words, her fingertips lingered softly on the snowy petals of the single half-opened bloom she'd affixed above the outside of the doorframe; this one unmarred by bloodstains.

"I can't help it, Tenten, it's just so-"

She automatically interrupted the other girl before she could finish her sentence. "_Don't_ say romantic, Hina." _Things are quite dangerous enough without adding _that _into the mix,_ she silently added. Despite having every intention of doing so, she'd never found the nerve or the opportunity yet to tell her friend of the amaryllis and note Neji had left for her the night she'd been so ill - or of the dreadful image that had nearly made her faint.

Hinata sighed. "But it would b-be so _wonderful_," she said plaintively. "Then, besides being my friend, you would also be my sister. Well, not exactly my s-sister, but as good as, if you f-follow what I mean."

Tenten smiled at her mistress. "Thank you, Hinata. That's a lovely compliment. Now then," she changed the subject, "what would you like to do for the rest of the day?"

"Do you f-feel up to starting to teach me that d-dance you told me about? Or if n-not, there are shuriken and knives to practice throwing."

Tenten laughed outright. "Next thing I know, you're going to want me to teach you how to use a katana," she teased; then felt her mouth drop open slightly when Hinata turned her pale gaze floorward.

"Well, n-now that you m-mention it-" she murmured, letting her voice trail off suggestively. "But the dance first, p-please."

"The dance first," Tenten agreed. "To begin with, we're going to need four fans. Once you have the movements and timing down, we'll build up to actual knives."

As always the heiress continued to surprise Tenten with her natural aptitude for various weaponry. Not only did she quickly pick up on the basic movements of the women's war dance from the village in the Land of Earth; she unconsciously added a natural layer of gracefulness and elegance to it that nearly took Tenten's breath away. _With the best, truest, purest practitioners of the martial arts,_ she remembered Kakashi telling her during one of their long-ago lessons, _you'll still be lost in the beauty of their movements before you even notice that you're dead._ Amazing as it seemed, shy, delicate Hinata appeared to have the potential to be one of those practitioners.

As night fell, Tenten's nerves began to wind tighter and tighter. But every time she thought of Kakashi possibly catching her during this latest late-night foray, she reminded herself that it had only been a few days since her bout of food poisoning. Surely, even if he were inclined to make a point of looking into the gardens during the wee small hours, he would think it too soon after her illness for her to engage in any midnight rambling.

As she and Hinata sat in darkness, waiting for the time to come for her to leave the suite, Tenten finally decided that maybe, just maybe, she should tell her about the flower, the note, and her terror that Neji had been caught. Even though she deliberately kept her recitation as dry as possible and totally omitted the gory details of her vision, she heard the other girl take in a deep, shivering breath at the end.

"P-please don't think poorly of m-me, Tenten," Hinata's whisper sounded troubled, "b-but if I had known this earlier, I d-don't know if I would have let you p-put up the rose."

Hurt stabbed Tenten's heart. Her head drooped; tears filling her eyes, she turned toward her mistress and made a profound, face to the tatami bow. "Forgive me, my lady," she choked out. "I have failed-"

The next thing she knew, Hinata's arms were wrapped around her shoulders, lifting her from her bow into an embrace. "Oh, Tenten, Tenten, I am s-sorry: I am n-not as b-brave as you. If not f-for you, my cousin, my b-big brother would still be isolated, f-friendless, with no b-bit of hope or j-joy in his life. Thanks t-to you, that is changing. He knows I b-believe in him. He knows he is n-no longer alone. _You_ are the bridge b-between us. And one d-day," Hinata's whisper shook fervently, "with your h-help, I hope to p-prove my uncle t-to have b-been as innocent as his s-son."

With those words echoing at the back of her mind, a short time later Tenten made herself one with the shadows as she slipped through them on her way to the gazebo, using every technique of stealth she'd ever learned from her older brother. She paused just outside the rose-draped entrance and whispered, "Lord Neji?"

A warm, rough hand closed around her wrist and pulled her around the corner into the fragrant, dark interior. "Milady Tenacity." His low voice brushed past her ear on the breath of what might have been a laugh. "You're feeling better. I'm glad."

A shiver tried to build along Tenten's nerves. "Thank you for the flower," she blurted out. "And the note. I kept the flower. Um, how is your hand?"

"All but healed. See?" Neji extended it into an anemic moonbeam sifting through the roses, palm upwards. Cradling it one of hers, she traced a fingertip lightly along lines that would show livid in daylight, then carefully flexed the injured digits.

"I'm so glad it's healing all right," she whispered. Surprising herself with the reluctance she felt, she released his hand and drew hers back; then, for lack of anything else to do with them, clasped them behind her back.

"I'm not complaining," Neji said after an uncomfortable pause, "but I was - surprised to see the white rose so soon." A note of curiosity colored his voice.

"I've been worried about you - about your hand," Tenten said quickly. "And, ah-" Her voice fading she looked toward her feet. "Thank you. For the flower. And the note. It was rice paper, so I ate the note." Her throat tightened as she desperately tried, and mostly failed, to block that terrible picture from reforming in her mind. _I'm babbling. He's going to think I'm an idiot._

"Tenten." He took a step closer to her, so near now she thought she could feel her skin tingle from his proximity. Her pulse suddenly seemed to double. "What is troubling you?"

"Troubling me? Nothing, nothing at all!" Again she knew she spoke too fast, but couldn't seem to stop herself, or even make herself look at him. _Neji kneeling, the sword flashing, the blood, the blood-!_

There was another long, awkward pause. "I see." Neji finally broke it, his voice distant yet unable to suppress completely an underscoring pain. She heard him back up one step, then another. "I frightened you by coming into the room that night. Or was Hinata frightened that I could come and go undetected?"

"No, you're wrong!" Tenten did jerk her head up then, her gaze grabbing and holding his. "For one thing, I never even _told_ Hinata about it until just before I came here! And her first thought was the _very same_ as mine, of the danger you'd put _yourself_ in! It was sweet, it made me feel-" She closed the distance between them without breaking eye contact, and got the feeling he would have backed up more if there had been room. "But the _risk_ you took! Seriously, Neji, when Hinata's father came bursting in the next morning, I thought- I thought-" This time she did not resist the compelling urge to lift her hands and cradle his face. "I- We- Neither of us was frightened _of_ you, Neji, but _for_ you!"

He stood unmoving between her hands, his wide eyes reflecting the failing moonlight in a silvery glimmer. Slowly, hesitantly his hands lifted to fit themselves around her waist; even as he bent his neck to rest his forehead against hers, their eyes remained locked.

"Tenten." Her name, only her name uttered in a whisper, the merest breath of a whisper; but it was enough. With a wonder-filled sense of having found her true home, she smoothed her thumbs in delicate circles across his cheekbones; felt his thumbs deliciously echo the motion on either side of her waist.

However much time passed as they stood like that, Tenten wasn't anywhere near ready to move when Neji sighed softly and said, "You'd better go." Straightening, he very gently put her away from him.

Tenten let her hands drift down to her sides. "I know." She took a slow step back, feeling as though she were fighting gravity's relentless pull. "M'lord, _Neji_-"

Although she couldn't see his face anymore, she knew he smiled. "I will look for the white rose. Until then, my Lady Tenacity."

The waning moon had all but set as Tenten left the gazebo, feeling as though she were floating. Or glowing. Or maybe both. Only years of discipline enabled her to be as stealthy on the return trip to the house as on her way to meet Neji. She slipped silently around the perimeter of an open area, approaching the wall that would lead her to the enclosure outside Hinata's suite. But to get to the gate, first she had to pass the fountain she and Hina had visited the day Neji cut his hand. Already she could hear the soft, soothingly repetitive music of the water falling back into its basin. Staying close to the vine-covered stone wall, she rounded the corner.

And froze. Time, as well as her heart, seemed to stop. Someone was sitting on the edge of the fountain. Someone whose hair glinted almost white in the last beams from the setting moon.

_Kakashi._

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ A month after my last update, I finally get the new chapter up! Again, I'm so sorry it's taken so long. But February is a notoriously bad month for my family - everything that is going to go wrong in the year happens this month. So hopefully things will look up from here. Also, now that my beta is feeling _much_ better, she and I have been reading through _Labyrinth_ from this point forward and extending, reworking, and rearranging scenes. We want to make sure we bring you the best story we possibly can, so we felt like all this work really needed to be done before we could move on. But now that we've (mostly) gotten all this worked out, we're aiming to get on a more regular updating schedule. Keep your fingers crossed! Thanks again for your patience, amazingly kind and supportive words, and we hope you enjoyed this chapter - it's one of my own personal favorites!


	19. Memories

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _rao hyuga 18_, _DarkAnonymous324_, _Tenten's Panda_, _Metoochocolate_, and _PolkadottedAngels_ for your reviews and encouraging words! I really appreciate you all so much. And also many thanks to those who have and continue to add this story to their alert and favorite lists - you all are totally amazing, too!

**Author's Note:** My co-author and I had a dialogue - a very, very _long_ dialogue about the length of this chapter. We couldn't decide if it should be one scene, or two. Finally, we reached this agreement. So, I'm sorry it's shorter than the rest, but ultimately, we both feel it's better this way. A lot of the emotion and impact of this chapter, we both felt, would be lessened if we added in another scene. This is also a very pivotal chapter in the story, with hints of what came before - and things to come. So we hope you enjoy it, sorry again it took so long, and thanks for reading!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter XIX~*<strong>

_~Memories~_

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><p>He'd seen her. She couldn't simply melt back into the night and take an alternate route to the suite. With retreat denied her, Tenten quickly decided her only option was to act as though it was no more unusual for her to be in the garden at this late hour than for her brother. Drawing in a steadying, silent breath she strolled slowly toward him, watching him watch her approach, until close enough to say in a low voice, "You're having trouble sleeping too, big brother?"<p>

For all its softness Kakashi's voice raised goosebumps all over her skin. "What are you doing out here, Tenten? _Who are you slipping out to meet?_"

Tenten put her chin up a degree or so as anger flared deep in her gut and fought down the sarcastic retort scalding her tongue: _All three of the guardsmen whose offers for my hand you refused!_ Meeting his eye squarely she quietly responded, "Who indeed, considering I've been sequestered nearly as closely as Lady Hinata since my first full day in Konoha? And that the only day I've had off-duty was spent with you?" She held his gaze without flinching, knowing he wouldn't expect her to be able to do so if she had a guilty conscience. She'd never been able to before. Until now. Until Neji's safety, and perhaps his life itself, depended on her deceiving the person who knew her best. "I'm not 'slipping' anywhere. I'm here with milady's knowledge and by her leave."

She sensed more than saw the tension seep first from his arms, left bare by his sleeveless black undershirt, then from his broad shoulders. Resting his elbows on his knees, Kakashi scrubbed his forehead with both hands, then tugged his mask down around his throat. "Sorry, Panda Bear," he said on a long sigh. "That - was out of line."

Tenten from long habit sat down to his right on the basin's edge so he wouldn't have to turn his head so far to see her. At once the coolness stirred by the softly splashing water began to work its way through her thin tunic. "Apology accepted, big brother," she said. After a moment, she added with a sideways look, "Though I warn you, start channeling Lord Hiashi and bad things _will_ happen." One corner of Kakashi's mouth turned up in a lopsided grin, rewarding her sally.

"So," he eventually broke the silence, "you must've been having a really bad time of it for Lady Hinata to chase you out into the night."

Mild as his tone was, Tenten heard the query hidden under it. "Kinda. Much as I love living in Konoha, and as sweet as milady is," she lifted one shoulder in a shrug, "I'm not used to staying in one place. I mean _literally_ one place. Sometimes I feel - claustrophobic. And that triggers bad dreams. So on one of our strolls she showed me a meditation garden she used to go to with her mother. I like it even better at night."

Kakashi nodded. "Lady Hiromi, yes. Lady Hinata is very like her, in both appearance and personality."

"Sarutobi Kurenai said pretty much the same thing when she introduced herself to Lady Hinata at Akamichi's. That seeing milady was like seeing her mother again." She turned sideways on the stone to face her brother, drawing up her legs so she could wrap her arms around her knees. Yielding to sudden curiosity she asked, "Did you know her mother, Kakashi?"

The moon had set. Only starlight remained to cast its fragile glow over his profile. He stayed quiet for so long, Tenten began to wonder if he meant to answer at all. But then he drew a deep breath, released it and said on a note of deep sadness, "Yes, I knew Lady Hiromi. Not well, of course, but I knew her."

Tenten tried to picture an older, fully mature Hinata; tried to picture Lord Hiashi as a man that, according to Hinata, such a woman would deeply love. "Do you think that's why her father treats milady the way he does? Because on some level he can't bear to be reminded of his lost wife?" she wondered aloud.

Kakashi sat up and turned his head in her direction so he could look straight at her. "I don't know. Maybe." He sounded surprised. "I can't say I ever really thought about it like that." He seemed to consider something while keeping his steady regard on her. "Tenten: Has Lady Hinata told you - anything - about her family history? Her _recent_ family history?"

_Oh-oh! Dangerous territory!_ went through her mind, even as she replied, "Some. A little. That Lord Hiashi had a twin brother at one time, who he-" Tenten couldn't finish her sentence past the tightness in her throat.

"-Who he sentenced to death for treason." Her brother's voice took on a hard, cold edge. "For plotting to usurp the leadership of the Hyuuga clan and the village of Konoha."

"And he made his three-year-old daughter attend the execution." Tenten's voice acquired a fierce, bitter edge of its own. "Gee, I wonder if Lady Hinata stuttered before _that_?"

After a short pause Kakashi said, his tone very low and sober, "I thought that was excessive, too - even at the time."

Random facts previously disassociated from each other abruptly swirled through Tenten's mind, realigning themselves into a pattern so obvious it made her want to pound her forehead against her knees. "You were _here_. When it happened. I mean actually _here,_" she whispered as she waved a hand at the surrounding compound. "Weren't you?" She didn't know why she should feel so shocked. Stunned. Because she definitely did. And when Kakashi wordlessly nodded, she tentatively continued, "You've never told me before why you left your home village and became a wandering bodyguard for hire. Did that- Is that why - you left Konoha?"

"Partly." Crossing his right ankle over his left thigh, Kakashi twisted to face her. "It was a terrible time, Panda. You have no idea how terrible. Hyuuga Hizashi's treachery wrecked a lot of lives, and not just within the clan. I lost my best friend that night. Maybe it's time I finally told you."

Tenten folded her arms on top of her knees, then rested her chin on them. "Please tell me, big brother. Who was he? What was his name?"

The rippling water in the fountain basin reflected just enough starlight for her to make out the pain and sadness in his expression as he gazed at her. "His name was Obito," he said finally. "Uchiha Obito." She sucked in a quick, surprised breath. "Uh-huh. He would've been Lord Sasuke's some kind of umpteenth-times-removed cousin. He was way outside the direct line. When my father - died - Obito's folks took me in."

_In all the years I've known him, I've never heard Kakashi mention his father. Or his mother._ The realization, weighted with shame, jolted through Tenten. _He never talked about Konoha either, except to tell me its name the one time I did ask about where he came from. _Why_ did I never wonder why?_

Kakashi went on, "I was pretty intense in those days, probably could even have been described as obsessed. I had my heart set on becoming a member of the Elite Corps in charge of guarding the leader of the Hyuuga clan and Konoha. Since he was an Uchiha everyone expected Obito to go straight from the Academy into the Konoha police force. But he was a bit of a rebel. He wanted to join the Hyuuga Guard Corps and make the Elite Corps as well. I still can't help but wonder how much of that desire was genuinely his own, and how much was a reflection of my ambition. Maybe if I hadn't been so driven-" He broke off for a moment. His eye seemed focused somewhere beyond her, filled with images from the past.

"Another thing about Obito, even though I didn't appreciate it at the time: he had a great sense of humor. He was chronically late to almost everything: classes, training, meals. And he'd give the most implausible excuses. 'I had to help a little old lady get across the street with her luggage,' he'd say. Or, 'Sorry, but I got lost on the path of life and had to take a detour.' He used to drive me crazy with what I considered his irresponsible attitude. But whenever I came down on him about how his 'frivolous' outlook on life would keep him out of the Guard he would laugh and say just because he wanted to be in the Elite Corps didn't mean he couldn't enjoy life along the way."

Tenten stayed very, very quiet as her brother paused, thinking surely he was being too harsh on himself. Hundreds of memories jostled and flickered through her mind: of Kakashi's endless patience with her; the stuffed panda bear toy he'd given her; the stories he told to make the time pass as they trudged from village to village; how he taught her to see herself as someone of value with her own special place to fill in the world - not just a worthless, thieving orphan. . .

He resumed speaking. "Still, Obito was Uchiha and despite what I condemned as a lackadaisical approach to the seriousness of life, he had skill. A lot of skill. We applied to the Guard Corps at the same time during our final year of school and were both accepted. Right after graduation Obito married Rin, the girl he'd been sweet on ever since our first year at the Academy. She made sure he actually got out the door on time every morning. Absolutely no problem existed with him heading home at day's end. Within six months the two of us had been selected for advanced training, being groomed for positions within the Elite Corps. We were on the fast track to achieving our dreams." His right hand, resting on his thigh, suddenly clenched. "And one night - one dreadful, blood-soaked night - destroyed everything.

"We'd been on an endurance and conditioning run across the plateau above Konoha," he jerked his head toward the black solidity of the cliff rising at the back of the village and part of the estate as well, "throwing in a little seek-and-avoid to make it more competitive. It was a nasty day. Colder than normal, windy and wet. You know the kind, Panda, that makes you so physically miserable it's just that much harder to keep your mind focused on anything but getting someplace warm and dry. But we looked at it as adding an extra layer of difficulty to the exercise. We stayed up there until what little daylight made it through the cloud cover started to go. We'd decided earlier that would be our signal to head back to the barracks if one of us hadn't won by then, and whoever got there first would be the winner. I headed back. I thought I got a glimpse or two of Obito weaving through the trees on a parallel course with me. Or maybe not. I'll never know for sure."

What had happened to the warmth of the night? Tenten wondered. The air curling off the water felt icy. It seeped into her body through her pores, winding insidiously chilling fingers around her heart, clenching it into a tight little ball of pain. Nearly shivering she hugged her knees even closer to her chest.

"I came down the western edge. The guards at the gates I passed through hadn't seen Obito. Assuming he was either behind me or had come down a different way, I went on to the barracks to clean up and change clothes. I dawdled, expecting him to come in at any moment with another of his lame excuses. But he still hadn't shown up by the time I finished, and I started to feel a little uneasy. I wondered if maybe he had opted to come down the eastern edge of the plateau, which was closer to the Hyuuga estate but a whole lot rougher. I decided to give him five more minutes, and then I'd go looking for him.

"The five minutes seemed to drag on for five hours. And of course by the end of them, Obito still hadn't shown. I headed out to look for him, convinced he'd tried the eastern approach and in the bad weather maybe slipped and broken a leg, or hit his head and knocked himself out.

"It was fully dark by then, the rain and the wind making the night seem even blacker. The light from my torch didn't seem to go very far. The guards at the eastern entrance to the compound said he hadn't entered that way. Cursing myself for choosing wrong I started running to check the western gate. Halfway between the barracks and the eastern end of the enclosure wall I found him, lying facedown where he'd - somehow - managed to drag himself since I passed that way the first time. The downpour hadn't had a chance yet to wash away all the blood."

Tenten closed her eyes and hid her face against her knees, a part of her desperately not wanting to hear any more.

"I never knew someone could lose that much blood and still be alive. Or maybe only the force of his will kept him in this world long enough for me to find him. I turned him over, and saw what had been done to him- I pulled him up onto my lap and held him against my chest; I think I shouted his name. His eyes cracked open. His whole body shuddered with the effort he made to choke out five words: 'Lord . . . Hizashi . . . No . . . Don't.'" The stark pauses between the words made each of them hit Tenten's heart all that much harder. "And then he said, 'Rin.' He was trying to say something else when he went limp in my arms, and I knew he was gone. Just - like - that, I'd lost my best friend, the man who'd been like a brother to me."

Kakashi's voice reached her now as from a great distance. "At the same time Obito died in my arms, Lord Hizashi was apprehended within the main house, still carrying the bloody katana he'd used to kill my friend. Of course he swore he was innocent of the murder. He claimed he'd heard suspicious noises and gone outside to investigate when he found the sword lying next to Obito, whom he'd assumed was dead. He said he picked it up when he got a glimpse of a shadowy figure making for the main house and set off in pursuit of the intruder."

Tenten lifted her head, feeling compelled to make some kind of protest - for Hinata's sake, and Neji's. She whispered pleadingly, "But this is Konoha. The most peaceful and stable of villages, and it's been like that for generations. You told me so youself. Surely Lord Hizashi must have known he would never be allowed to sieze power in such a way."

Her brother shook his head at her. "You're forgetting one thing, Panda. Lord Hiashi and Lord Hizashi were twins. _Identical_ twins. What if it appeared that Lord Hiashi had discovered his brother and his wife together, betraying him, and slain both in a jealous rage. Who would dare dispute his right to have done so? And with Lady Hiromi dead, who would remain to definitively identify the imposter as such? Lord Hizashi's wife had already died. Lady Hinata was a child of three. Who would have believed her, even if she insisted the man everyone else accepted as her father was in reality her uncle?"

A bitter tide of despair rose within her. "He confessed - to all this?"

"No. When presented with hard evidence of his plot, he still claimed innocence of any wrongdoing. Even when kneeling for his execution, he refused to bow his neck and admit his guilt. He stared straight into Lord Hiashi's eyes until the executioner took his head."

_A sword flashing-_ Desperate to block that image from fully forming, Tenten asked quickly, "And Rin? What happened to Rin?"

She hadn't thought Kakashi's expression could turn any bleaker, until it did. At once she wished to snatch the question back. "She just - stopped wanting to live. She said it would be better for her and their unborn child to be together with Obito in the afterlife than to stay in this world without him. She died not long afterward. I left Konoha after her funeral, and intended to never come back."

"Why did you, big brother?" Tenten lowered her head onto her knees again, barely able to force the words past the tears threatening to strangle her. "Why did you decide to come back to Konoha?"

"I don't know, Tenten. It just seemed the right time. Maybe I should have told you all this before coming back. But I never dreamed we'd both find employment with the Hyuuga clan." She heard him get to his feet. A moment later a gentle hand stroked the back of her head. "Don't linger here too long, Panda Bear. And don't leave Lady Hinata alone at night too often, no matter how safe she thinks herself to be. Lord Hizashi had a son. And that son is still here on the estate." His breath stirred her hair as he kissed the crown of her head.

And then he was gone.

Tenten's whole body went icy cold with shock. Any impulse she'd harbored to yield to tears fled. _Neji. Kakashi thinks he's a threat to Hina. Who firmly believes her uncle was innocent and plans on me helping her prove it._ _At least he doesn't know about Neji and me._ She moved her head so she could push her mouth down hard on her wrist. For a vivid moment she felt again Neji's hands gently clasping her waist, felt his face between her hands and his bandaged forehead resting against hers. _What am I thinking? "Neji and me." Like there could ever _be_ such a thing as Neji and me. I can't let myself fall in love with him. Or any more in love with him than I think I already am. . ._

_. . .What on earth have I gotten myself into?_

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ As I said above, my co-author and I had a very, very _long_ dialogue about the length of this scene. We couldn't decide if it should be one scene, or two. Finally, we agreed on this one. So, I'm sorry it's shorter than the rest (and that there's no Naruto or Sasuke, as some requested), but ultimately, we both feel it's better this way. A lot of the emotion and impact of this chapter, we both felt, would be lessened if we added in another scene. This is also a very pivotal chapter in the story, with hints of what came before - and things to come. But I can promise at least Sasuke's presence in the next chapter, so I look forward to seeing you all then! Thanks for reading!


	20. Picnic

Please see the first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _rao hyuga 18_, _DarkAnonymous324_, _Tenten's Panda_, _PolkadottedAngels_, and _Seamew_ for all your wonderful, supportive reviews! You all are some of the most amazing people I've ever gotten feedback from, bar none, _thank you_. Also thanks to all those who add this story to their favorite and alert lists.

**Author's Note:** Many apologies for the two-plus month wait for this chapter! Details at the end of the chapter. For now, I'll just let you get on with reading it. I hope you enjoy!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter XX~*<strong>

_~Picnic~_

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><p><em>Junior partner. I am a junior partner.<em> Naruto sat down at his desk and gazed with proprietary pride around the _Konoha Daily's_ office. He deeply inhaled the unique blend of odors - stale smoke from Asuma's cigarettes lurking beneath the scent of the aroma sticks Kurenai used to combat it; the acrid tang of ink seeping past the door to the print room; the subtler smells of old wood and new paper - as he savored those two important, life-changing words. _Junior partner._ Of course he realized his bigger role carried the weight of increased responsibility that rested squarely on his shoulders. But Naruto possessed an extra-large portion of youthful confidence and suffered no qualms over whether he could handle it. Now that his dearest dream turned out also to be his legacy, no way would he ever let Asuma and Kurenai, or his grandparents - let alone his parents! - down.

He reached for the power button on his computer; paused when he caught sight of the cheesy, teeth-baring, eye-scrunching grin reflected back at him by his dark computer screen. Yep! He looked just as giddy as he felt. Then he suddenly frowned down at his image. Maybe he looked_ too_ giddy for a junior partner. For the next few minutes he practiced different (relatively) calm, businesslike expressions until he realized how much time he was wasting. Booting up his laptop, he started to work. Junior partnership (nope, he would never get tired of those words, even if everyone else did!) came with a lot of extra work, after all. He didn't want to fall behind and disappoint the people trusting in him.

Almost half an hour later Naruto heard heavy footsteps coming down the staircase that led to the the building's upper floors and the Sarutobi living quarters. The door in one of the corners at the back of the room opened. Asuma shuffled in, bleary eyed and yawning, carrying a big mug of coffee in his left hand. He stopped dead on the threshold, blinked, and stared at Naruto for a long moment before saying, "What are you doing here?"

"Since I'm a junior partner now, I've decided I should start coming in earlier," Naruto said. "You and Kurenai aren't going to have any reason to regret putting your trust behind me. Believe it!" He turned back to his laptop and started typing again with fresh intensity.

Asuma blinked again. "Uh - okay." From the corner of his eye Naruto saw him grin slightly as he sat down at his desk and turned on his own computer. A feeling of pride warmed the young Uzumaki down to his toes.

Another few minutes passed before Konohamaru wandered into the office through the same door Asuma had used, signature scarf around his neck and his camera bag in one hand. In a repeat of his uncle's reaction he stopped and stared at Naruto. "Hey! Naruto!" he shouted. "What are _you_ doing here so early? Did I miss something exciting?"

As Naruto glared at his sidekick, Asuma muttered into his coffee cup, "Naruto's decided since he's gotten a promotion, of sorts, it's his duty to start coming in earlier every day."

Konohamaru stomped over to study Naruto through narrowed eyes, as if to find any untruth in his uncle's assessment of the situation. Naruto sat there enduring the scrutiny, trying very hard to look stern as well as professional; but he could feel the betraying grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. At last the younger boy let out a snort and dropped down into the chair on his side of the desk. Switching on his laptop, he pulled the memory card out of his camera and inserted it into the computer, muttering something about showoffs as he scrolled through the downloaded pictures.

Eventually Asuma set his mug aside with a thump. "I've got an appointment with Inuzuka Tsume and Inuzuka Hana this morning," he announced. "There's a growing situation in Konoha with dogs being allowed to run loose and breed indiscriminately. A lot of the resulting puppies are either winding up at the shelter Hana runs in conjunction with her veterinary practice, being abandoned and adding to the problem, or being destroyed when they become public nuisances. They've asked the _Daily_ to run an article in order to increase awareness in Konoha on how to be responsible dog owners - which includes spaying and neutering, as well as basic obedience training - and boost the adoption rate at the shelter."

Keeping his mouth resolutely shut, Naruto thought, _Better you than me, Boss! His sister is okay, but Kiba's mom scares me!_ As Asuma stood and automatically patted his pockets, Konohamaru bounced to his feet as well. "I can help out by adopting a puppy! Oh, Uncle Asuma, please can I get a puppy? Please, _please_ can I get a puppy?"

"We'll see," Asuma said dryly. "I need you to come along, anyway, to get a few pictures. You can look at some of the dogs they have available for adoption, and then your aunt and I will talk about it." He looked over at Naruto. "Kurenai's feeling a bit under the weather. Morning sickness. I doubt if she'll be down until after Konohamaru and I get back. Think you can run the office by yourself for a while?"

Once again, Naruto's trademark grin burst free from his efforts to restrain it and plastered itself over his face. "Yessir!" he said, throwing in a salute for good measure. "You can believe it!"

After Asuma and Konohamaru left, Naruto took a moment to lean back in his chair. Linking his hands behind his head, he studied the room at large, feeling like he could burst from happiness. From almost the precise moment he found out his parents had been reporters, he'd started hanging around the _Konoha Daily_ office, pestering Asuma and Kurenai to hire him. It'd taken several years, of course, and a lot of hard work. But his blood ran thickly with ink, even more strongly now.

His cobalt blue gaze came to rest on the pictures hanging on the wall across from his desk, on what they called the "memorial wall." His eyes skipped over several photographs of people he didn't recognize to the one hanging right beneath Old Man Sarutobi's picture: a group photo of his parents, Asuma, and Kurenai, taken not long after Minato and Kushina had started work at the _Daily_. All four held notepads, pens tucked behind their ears and silly grins on their faces, none of them looking that much older than Naruto. Asuma had said they would be full partners in the paper now if they hadn't died, which meant Naruto wouldn't be a junior partner. But he would happily give up his new position in a heartbeat if only he could have his parents back.

And then a thought occurred to him, freezing him under its impact. _Why didn't I think of that before?_

Shoving away from his desk, Naruto snatched up a notebook and pen. He headed for the staircase leading down into the basement morgue - the archives where they kept copies of every _Konoha Daily_ ever printed - as well as all the research on which those articles were based. He flipped on the light, leaving the door open behind him so he'd hear if someone came into the office, and descended the steps as quietly as possible. If Kurenai heard him banging around in the basement, she would want to know what he was doing. He couldn't lie to her; but he didn't necessarily want her to know the truth, either.

Now that he was junior partner, he could use his position to do some research: look into what his parents had been working on around the time of their deaths and see if he could find some clues. Maybe he could piece together some kind of a pattern to help him make sense of the tragedy he couldn't remember or understand, but felt so deeply and painfully all the way down into his bones.

Naturally, Naruto knew the authorities, not to mention Asuma, Kurenai, and even the Old Man himself had looked into his parents' murders with no success. But he was their son; their legacy; their future. Minato and Kushina lived on in him. If anyone could figure out what happened to them, he would be that person.

He wouldn't be a disappointment to the memory of his parents. He would not fail.

_I promise, Mom and Dad, I _will_ find out what happened to you guys. And I'll make sure they pay._

* * *

><p><em>Heels down, back straight, grip with the knees. Heels down, back straight, grip with the knees- <em>Tenten's instructions, repeated so frequently over the past several days, cycled through Hinata's mind like a mantra. _Heels down, back straight, grip with the knees-_

A light bump against her right knee startled her out of her absorption. She nearly pulled back on the reins, but caught herself just in time. Turning her head very cautiously in that direction, she saw Tenten grinning at her.

"Are you going to chant like that all the way to the Uchiha estate?" her friend asked.

Hinata's cheeks warmed. Had she actually been speaking the words outloud? "I was n-not chanting," she said with as much dignity as she muster in the face of her friend's teasing. "One c-cannot chant in a whisper."

"Are you sure you were whispering?" When Hinata stared in consternation at Tenten, the other laughed. "For someone who's been riding less than a week, you're doing fine, Hinata."

"It still d-doesn't _feel_ fine," Hinata confessed with a small grimace. She wanted to shift her position in the saddle, but feared what would happen if she did. Even though they were riding at a very sedate pace, the ground still seemed so very far away.

"The soreness will go away - eventually," Tenten said reassuringly. "If it helps, I'm even feeling it myself."

Startled by that admission, Hinata turned her upper body slightly without thinking so she could study her bodyguard's face. "You are? B-but you're so - so _f-fit!_"

Tenten shrugged. "I may be fit, but most of my traveling has been accomplished on my own two feet. As with Konoha, in all the places I've been with Kakashi horseback riding is reserved for the nobility and their guards, or in special circumstances, the peacekeepers. Yes, I know how to ride, but it's been a while and I'm a little out of shape for it. So I literally am feeling your pain."

She giggled, but then turned serious again as she mulled over what Tenten had said. "I d-don't think that's f-fair, though. Why shouldn't everyone b-be allowed t-to ride?"

"Um-" Tenten looked taken aback, almost comic in her surprise.

The more she thought about it, the more indignant Hinata felt, to the point where she unconsciously leaned slightly sideways in her saddle toward the other woman. "I'm serious. Why should it b-be that way? Why should you only g-get to ride a horse when you're with someone like m-me?"

"They always say it's the quiet ones who will surprise you," Tenten murmured with a small shake of her head. "You're quite the rebel, milady. Okay, I'll grant the practice probably started as a way to maintain class distinctions. But I think nowadays it's more a matter of practicality, and not just because horses are so expensive in their upkeep. Equine and pedestrian traffic really doesn't mix all that well. Plus there's the, ah, mess that just naturally gets left behind with horseback travel. Personally, I'd rather have clean streets to walk than have to watch where I'm stepping all the time."

"Oh," Hinata's nose automatically twitched at the memory of their first trip to the Hyuuga stables, "I d-didn't think of it like that."

"So," Tenten said cheerfully, "while I thank you for the thought, I assure you I don't feel the least bit downtrodden. And," she added with a grin, "it's time for me to drop back now. We're there."

"Wh-what?" Hinata, facing forward again in shock, saw they were steadily approaching a pair of wide open gates only a little less imposing than those giving onto the Hyuuga compound. Catching sight of the tall masculine figure descending the final steps into the courtyard beyond, she swallowed her dismay and, as Anko-sensei had taught her, schooled her features into a display of gentle pleasure. The gate guards bowed deeply as she passed between them and reined to a halt, Tenten a discreet and proper half-length behind her.

"Lady Hinata." Lord Sasuke came to a stop by her left stirrup and smiled up at her. His dark glance flicked past her as he courteously added, "Tenten," then returned to her face. "Be welcome to my home. Might I assist you to dismount so you may refresh yourself before our outing begins?" He reached up for her.

"Thank you, Lord Sasuke." Bringing her right leg around behind her, she balanced on the left stirrup, bent her knee and slid into his waiting hands, allowing him to take hold of her waist and lift her the rest of the way down. "You're m-most k-kind." As grooms appeared to take charge of their mounts, Tenten silently fell into position behind the couple.

Sasuke tucked Hinata's gloved hand into the crook of his arm as he escorted her up the steps, which turned out to be the only the first of two sweeping flights. At the top lay a wide, walled expanse almost like another courtyard, but green with grass and bright with flowers around a central fountain; beyond that the second set of shallow stone stairs led up to the house. "How l-lovely," she commented as he guided her along the flagged pathway.

"It used to be paved like the lower courtyard, too - until Mother got hold of it," Sasuke told her as they mounted to the entryway. "By the way, Mother said she knew you as a baby since your mother was one of her dearest friends. She's very much looking forward to meeting you again."

"I will b-be delighted t-to renew m-my acquaintance with her," Hinata replied, smiling demurely. But inwardly, as servants replaced their footwear with house slippers, she felt her anxiety level ratchet up another notch or two at this unexpected revelation.

All too quickly Sasuke ushered her into a spacious and sunny room where two women and a man sat quietly conversing. As soon as she and Sasuke entered they stood, the man and the younger lady immediately bowing; but the other lady, as dark-haired and dark-eyed as both her sons, swiftly advanced with outstretched hands. Catching both of Hinata's in her own as she blinked back the tears sheening her beautiful eyes, Lady Mikoto murmured, "Oh my dear child! You've grown into the very image of our sweet Hiromi," she laid one hand along Hinata's cheek, "just as Kurenai said."

Dual surges of opposing emotions - joy that at least two other people remembered her mother with such evident love, as well as renewed sorrow over her death - twined through Hinata's heart, inducing a sudden urge to yield to tears. Fortunately Lord Itachi and Lady Temari came up at that moment to be introduced, which at least gave her something else to focus on until the impulse faded.

They didn't linger long once Hinata and Tenten had refreshed themselves in the downstairs guest facilities. As the group of young people took their leave of Lady Mikoto, her sons caught her between them in a hug that lifted her clear of the floor, each kissing her unabashedly on the cheek in spite of her laughing protests. On the way back to the courtyard, Hinata longed to be able to confirm that her friend shared her impression of Sasuke's mother; that surely someone so kind, so obviously adored by her children couldn't possibly be complicit in her husband's plotting.

When Hinata saw the horses - two black and one golden chestnut - being led up to the bottom of the steps along with her own and Tenten's, her breath caught in her throat with admiration. "Oh, how b-beautiful!" she exclaimed, then blushed to the tips of her ears as she realized she'd interrupted what Sasuke had been saying to her. "P-please excuse m-me, m-my lord. It's j-just they're s-so graceful, s-so elegant. And the b-black horses m-make the other m-more bright, while the b-bright one makes the d-dark two l-look even blacker."

His eyes, satiny black as the horse she just knew belonged to him, gleamed down at her. "No need to apologize for expressing such admirable appreciation of good horseflesh! See the one with the white mark like a feather on his forehead? That's my Taka. The chestnut is Lady Temari's Sanraizu. The solid black one is my brother's, and has the very original name of Mayonaka since he's as black as, well, midnight."

"I heard that, Sasuke," Lord Itachi said as he and Lady Temari caught up with them at the last step. Hinata saw the brothers exchange grins so full of obvious affection, she had to look down as a bittersweet ache pierced her heart.

_I'm glad Sasuke and his brother are so close,_ she thought wistfully. _I only wish I could say the same was true for Hanabi and me._

* * *

><p>Hinata, unsuspecting of how one look at her placid brown gelding told the others exactly how inexperienced a rider she was, felt only relief when no one suggested they let their mounts gallop once they left Konoha through its smaller western gate for the open country beyond. Conversing idly they ambled along four abreast, Hinata and Temari in the center, Tenten trailing behind. Even when the way ahead of them lifted in a series of switchbacks ascending to the top of the plateau behind the village and they had to go single file, she kept her eyes resolutely fixed on the back of the rider in front of her while refusing to think of how much more frightening the trip down would be.<p>

When the trail finally debouched above the cliff, she reined to a halt and looked around in amazement. Off to the left scattered copses of trees merged into a forest lifting into thickly wooded foothills that led the eye to distant mountains. Straight ahead and to the right a nearly flat expanse of meadow rolled gently to an abrupt terminus of open sky. Almost perfectly centered on the plateau a small lake glimmered placidly at the sky while feeding a narrow stream which meandered along to lose itself in the forest. "It's s-so m-much b-bigger than I expected!" she murmured, almost feeling dizzied by the unaccustomed spaciousness, and the rippling of the grasses under the light breeze which seemed to mimic green water flowing up to and over the cliff's edge.

Lady Temari pulled up on her right and gave her a quizzical look. "You've never been up here before, Lady Hinata?" she asked. "Or on one of these 'picnic' things?"

The familiar, despised warmth of a blush crept into Hinata's cheeks. "N-no," she admitted softly, looking down at her hands clenched on the reins. "N-never."

"Then it'll be a new experience for both of us." When Hinata glanced at her in surprise, the blonde woman shrugged, her unexpected smile making her seem another, much more approachable, person. "Trust me, _no_ one from Suna would ever think of eating a meal outside just for the fun of it." She lifted her tanned face into the breeze and added, "Is it just my imagination, or is it actually less humid up here?"

Hesitantly Hinata returned her smile. "Yes, it f-feels that way t-to me, t-too."

The group rode to a canopied pavilion in the Uchiha colors of red and white which had been erected under the spreading branches of a massive tree. When Sasuke dismounted she saw him remove a scabbarded short sword from Taka's saddle, nonchalantly securing it at the small of his back as he came around to her left stirrup. A quick peek in Lord Itachi's direction showed him doing the same thing on his way to Lady Temari's side.

Her escort grinned at her as he lifted her down. "Don't worry, they're mostly for show," he said. "You won't find many places safer than Konoha and the lands around it. But it just wouldn't do for the future head of the village's police force - _and_ his older brother - to appear unprepared for any contingency, however unlikely it might be."

Uncertain whether he would react with mirth or offended pride, Hinata decided not to mention the pair of shuriken tucked into her small leather belt pouch. Instead she smiled shyly at him and said, "It appears you and L-Lord Itachi have g-gone t-to a great d-deal of effort t-to ensure our c-comfort, L-Lord Sasuke. Thank you."

He chuckled while escorting her to the pavilion and tipped his head toward the bowing row of waiting servants, their beaming expressions so different from the sober demeanor of their Hyuuga counterparts. "Our household staff has gone to a great deal of effort," he said lightly, "so we can enjoy the pleasure of your company."

Within the pavilion a lacquered table had been placed on top of a thick carpet and surrounded with a profusion of cushions patterned in red and white. As soon as the couples had taken their places a servant offered them a bamboo tray holding rolled up, hot moist towels, subtly scented, so they could wipe their hands and faces before being served an amazing array of dishes: _onigiri_ and _inari-zushi_; a pleasantly cooling cucumber salad with chopped _wakame_, finely shredded carrots and white sesame seeds; a variety of delicate croquettes with dipping sauces; _moyashi_ and _yaki-niku_; and, finally, plates of steaming _yakisoba_ tossed with mixed vegetables and tender slivers of pork. But even more remarkable to Hinata than the food was how _comfortable_ she felt.

"Good idea you had, younger brother," Itachi said, lazily saluting Sasuke with his teacup at the end of the excellent meal.

"Yes, this has been a lovely, restful interlude during the preparations for our wedding," Temari said, sounding uncharacteristically diffident as she looked at Itachi. Turning her eyes, more teal than turquoise in the light filtering through the pavilion's silken canopy, from Hinata to Sasuke she added, "Thank you for including us, Sasuke."

Sasuke very briefly looked surprised before he dipped his head and grinned. "You're very welcome, Temari. I'm glad you and Itachi were able to come. And speaking of the wedding," he turned to Hinata, his grin softening into a smile, "would you do me the honor of being my guest for the occasion, Hinata?"

The old familiar panic stirred in the pit of Hinata's stomach, only to be overwhelmed by an unanticipated rush of self-confidence. She smiled back at him, all the while feeling amazed at herself. "Thank you, Sasuke," she said. "I will b-be honored and delighted."

A quarter of an hour or so later they left the pavilion (at the same time appropriating several of the cushions) to give the staff opportunity to begin their cleanup. They relocated to an open yet still shady grove somewhat closer to the edge of the forest, no one seeming to want to be the first to suggest they end their outing and return to the village. Certainly Hinata had no desire for the day to be over, she acknowledged inwardly. Tenten, who remained smilingly if adamantly on duty despite all their urgings for her to relax and join them, also seemed equally content to let the day extend.

Deep into Itachi's description of the workshop where Kankuro, one of Temari's brothers, crafted his incredibly detailed puppets Tenten, sitting quietly at a slight remove from them, came suddenly and swiftly to her feet. Eyes focused on the eastern rim of the plateau, she put herself between them and it, unsheathing her katana with a hissing whine that sent a shiver along Hinata's nerves.

Breaking off his narrative Itachi instantly rose in a single lithe movement, Sasuke mirroring him, each drawing the _tantō_ he wore at the small of his back. As Hinata exchanged a startled glance with Temari, she saw the other woman slip the fingers of her right hand into the sash around her waist. Did she also carry shuriken within its folds, or perhaps a knife? Trying hard to still the trembling in her fingers, Hinata crossed her arms over her midriff, bringing her hand close to her belt pouch.

"Please remain behind me, my lords," Tenten said without looking around.

"We will follow your lead, Tenten," Itachi said calmly as he and his brother took up flanking positions a few paces behind her. Sasuke dipped his chin once in a curt nod of agreement.

Just like _that_, between one blink and the next, a man surged around a clump of rocks and brush onto the plateau, running with a smooth, loping gait. A white dog larger than Hinata had ever imagined could exist pursued him so closely her breath caught in her chest, and she feared to see at any moment the leap that would bring the young man down. But even as what seemed a veritable flood of furred bodies flowed into view closely on their heels, all three defenders relaxed, lowering and resheathing their weapons.

Hinata exhaled sharply in relief a scant second later as she belatedly recognized the youth. "I-it's all right," she told Temari, who still looked tense, as Sasuke waved and the whole human-led pack veered towards them. "Th-that's Inuzuka K-Kiba. The Inuzuka are one of Konoha's l-lesser noble clans. They b-breed and train the b-best d-dogs anywhere."

"Oh." Temari seemed unable to take her eyes off the huge white dog keeping pace with Kiba. "We - don't really have dogs in Suna."

Itachi must have heard that low-voiced admission, for he came to stand next to his fiancée. "Beautiful, aren't they?" he said. "Now I think about it, I don't remember seeing any dogs while I was in Suna. But then again, something else held my attention captive." He smiled warmly down at Temari and after a moment she hesitantly smiled back. Hinata felt her heart give a forlorn little jerk.

Kiba's call of "Hiya, guys!" distracted her from the melancholy trend of her thoughts. He jogged to a halt, grinning broadly. To Hinata's amazement, all the dogs – only ten of them after all - instantly dropped into sitting positions, tongues lolling as they panted, their eyes remaining fixed on Kiba. "Sorry we startled you," he continued somewhat breathlessly. "I didn't expect anybody to be up here today." Turning to look over his shoulder, he clapped his hands once and said, "Okay, break!" Most of the canines stood and wandered slightly apart before flopping down at their ease, though a few - including the large white one - stretched out where they were.

The Inuzuka seemed on the point of emulating their example when Sasuke said pointedly, "Inuzuka Kiba, I'm sure you remember meeting _Lady_ Hinata and her bodyguard Tenten at Akimichi's. But I don't think you've been introduced to my brother's betrothed, _Lady_ Temari of the Sabaku."

"What? Oh! Of course!" As the young man offered a belated bow to Temari and herself, Hinata suppressed an urge to giggle as his face, already flushed from his exertions, turned almost as deep a red as the tattooed stylized fangs on his cheeks. He added with disarming candor, "Please forgive my seeming incivility. I'm not used to doing the pretty, and besides, my brain is running short on oxygen just now."

Temari's throaty chuckle joined Hinata's giggle. "Don't worry about it, Kiba. I don't know how my brother Gaara will react to it, but I'm starting to like the lack of formality in Konoha society," the blonde said. "Won't you join us? I've never seen a larger dog than yours. What is his name?"

"Akamaru," Kiba responded proudly. Settling cross-legged on the ground as the picnic party resumed their places, he reached over to scratch behind one of the massive animal's brown ears, then scooted closer so he could lean back against the dog's side. "He is splendid, isn't he? I've raised and trained him since he was just the size of both my hands put together. Best partner any trainer could ever have."

As Hinata listened to Temari's queries to Kiba about the uses and benefits of dogs and his knowledgeable replies, a sudden strange feeling crept over her: a feeling as though she were being closely observed. She looked around as inconspicuously as she could, trying to identify the cause of the sensation. Just as she chided herself for imagining things, her eyes passed over the resting forms of Kiba's pack; paused on one smallish brown dog sitting with ears perked-

-And watching her steadily from dark-ringed eyes.

Holding her gaze with its own, the dog stood, trotted briskly over to her, and sat down immediately in front of her. Letting its pink tongue hang from the side of its mouth, it wiggled all over, tail vigorously swishing across the grass. Entranced Hinata leaned slightly forward, saying softly as she extended one hand towards it, "Sasuke, l-look: Doesn't he remind you of the t-toy d-dog you won for me at the f-festival?"

"You're right," he agreed. "He's a goodlooking pup, isn't he?"

"He's adorable." Responding to her coaxing the dog stretched out as close to her as he could and rested his chin on her knee. Hinata, tentatively at first but with increasing confidence, stroked the top of his head. Marveling at how silky it felt, she asked, "How old is he, K-Kiba? Will he g-get as b-big as Akamaru?"

Kiba replied, "He's five months old, milady, and his breed is much smaller than Akamaru's. He'll be about this tall at the shoulders," he demonstrated with one hand held about a foot and a half off the ground, "when he finishes growing."

Sasuke leaned a little closer, his shoulder nearly brushing Hinata's as he gently massaged the loose skin at the back of the pup's neck. "Itachi and I always wanted a dog when we were kids," he said, "but Mother can't be around them - she's allergic." He sat up straight again, his dark gaze fixing on the Inuzuka. "What've you named him, Kiba?"

"We always let the owners name the dogs they get from us, so he doesn't have one yet. But perhaps Lady Hinata would do us the honor of naming him?"

Hinata, her fingers now smoothing circles behind one of the puppy's ears, glanced up with a smile. "Thank you, Kiba!" Tilting her head to one side, she said, "I think – Bisuke, since his front p-paws look as though they've b-been d-dipped in chocolate." Bisuke briefly lifted his head long enough to utter one bark, as if giving his approval to his naming, and everyone laughed.

Soon afterward Akamaru shifted position and nudged Kiba's shoulder with his nose, hard enough to rock him sideways. The young man grinned and said, "Okay, big fella, I hadn't forgotten," before adding in explanation, "I always let the pack go for a swim in the lake after a training run, and Akamaru thinks they've waited long enough. So if you folks will excuse us," he stood in one smooth movement. Instantly every dog's head raised, eyes locking intently on their human pack leader - except for Bisuke, who whimpered softly as his attention wavered from Kiba to Hinata and back again.

A pang went through Hinata's gentle heart. Unwilling to interfere between trainer and dog, she remained silent but raised pleading eyes to Kiba's face. He chuckled.

"Looks like Bisuke wants to stay with you more than he wants to swim, milady," he said. "He'll have to come back with us to finish his training, but for now hold your hand like this," he demonstrated a "halt" sign with his own, "and firmly tell him 'Stay.'"

Hinata followed his directions and, to her gratification, the puppy immediately settled against her again with a deep sigh of contentment. Looking shyly back up at the trainer, she said, "When I'm w-with friends, Kiba, I l-like to be c-called 'Hinata.'"

Temari looked sideways at Itachi. "I had no idea dogs could be as fascinating – and useful! - as horses," she said. "I think I'm going to walk down to the lake and watch them some more."

Itachi stood and held a hand down to assist her to her feet. "I'll come with you. I need to walk some off some of that dinner, or Mayonaka won't let me ride home." He looked at his younger brother. "We'll bring the horses back with us."

Sasuke raised a lazy hand in acknowledgement. "Okay, older brother. Good to see you, Kiba. I'll get with you later."

The tattoo-faced young man nodded as he adjusted the kerchief he wore tied around his forehead as a sweatband. "Sure thing. Nice to have seen you again, Hinata, Tenten." With a casual wave and a sharp whistle to summon his pack, he set off for the lake, Itachi and Temari matching pace with him, the dogs cavorting happily after them.

Hinata had halfway managed to forget the ride back to Konoha, until Itachi's comment brought it sharply to the front of her mind. She suppressed a shiver, only to have Bisuke abruptly stand, place both front paws on her knee, and stare intently into her face. Startled, she asked uncertainly, "What d-did I d-do?"

Sasuke cleared his throat as he reached over to stroke his hand in a repetitive, soothing motion down the puppy's spine. "One thing Kiba has always said about dogs: You can't hide your true feelings from them, ever. You did great riding here, and I don't want you to think I'm saying you wouldn't do equally well going back. It's just downhill _feels_ a lot more - precarious." When he glanced at her from the corner of his eye, their gazes caught and held. Turning to face her, he added earnestly, "You don't have to prove anything, Hinata. Not to me; not to Itachi or Temari. Please, Hinata, will you ride with me, at least to the bottom of the plateau?"

So accustomed was Hinata to biting sarcasm and icy criticism from her father and sister no matter what she did, it took a moment for her to realize two things: First, how she detected only sincere concern and even admiration for her in Sasuke's voice and eyes, rather than derision and mockery; and second, how the merest hint of a blush staining his cheeks betrayed an unexpected vulnerability.

Somewhere deep within Hinata's heart and soul, a part of her long clenched in on itself to shield against the double wounds of loss and rejection cautiously relaxed ever so slightly. "Yes, Sasuke," she said simply. "Thank you, I will."

For a long moment more moon pale and night dark eyes continued in thrall before simultaneously breaking away from each other. Hinata's and Sasuke's blushes deepened. Bisuke, sensing the easing of tension, returned to his former place curled up against the side of her leg. Hinata felt a nervous urge to tap her fingers together; instead she pulled her hair, braided for this outdoor excursion, over her shoulder as a puff of wind fluttered her bangs. Making a pretense of examining the silver clasp at its end she said, "Tr-truly, Sasuke, this has b-been such a lovely d-day. I c-can't begin t-to t-tell you how much I've enjoyed getting t-to know Itachi and Temari - and you."

"And I can't begin to tell you how happy-" Sasuke started to reply softly, only to be interrupted by Bisuke coming abruptly to his feet again. This time, though, he took a couple of steps away from them, planted his paws firmly, and stared towards the forest. Nose working furiously, he uttered a sound somewhere between a growl and a whine as his hackles rose.

It was all the warning they had. In a silence more terrifying than howls or snarls, four large, wild, wolfish-looking dogs burst from the not-so-distant eaves of the forest in a flatout run, foam dripping from their fanged muzzles, crazed eyes intent on the small group.

Hinata froze in shock and horror as the peaceful day exploded into unimaginable violence around her. With a harsh shout of, _"Run!"_ Tenten hurtled past, drawn katana already in her hands. Meeting the attacking canines head-on, she swung her sword in a flashing arc to take the head of the lead animal. She allowed the momentum to pull her into a controlled pivot to avoid the collapsing carcass, if not the bright crimson spray of the creature's blood, and bring her around to face the remaining three beasts. At the exact same moment Sasuke sprang to his feet, right hand reaching for the _tantō_ at his back; two of the wild dogs split to attack Tenten from opposing directions, engaging her in a deadly dance of lunge and retreat, parry and regroup; while the last one launched itself at them in a tremendous leap. Throwing himself into its path, Sasuke only had time to call out a desperate, _"Hinata - run!"_ as he went down, his right hand - and short sword - pinned beneath his twisted body as he fell. Only his left arm, flung up at the last instant to protect his throat, kept the wicked fangs from ripping away his life.

Bisuke, his body quivering frantically, let out a series of high-pitched barks. Her terrified paralysis shattering, Hinata screamed, _"No!"_ - but whether to the puppy or to the mad beast savaging Sasuke's arm she could never afterwards say. Lunging forward from where she knelt, she snatched the puppy up into her arms and clasped him close, feeling his heart pound crazily out of synch with her own. Evidently distracted by her sudden movement, the wild dog released Sasuke's arm and raised its head, its insane gaze fixing on her from a scant few feet away. Hinata froze again, transfixed by the sight of the bloody foam smearing its muzzle, watching as its hindquarters sank in preparation for another leap-

Sasuke's left hand flew up to grasp the animal's throat just below its jaw, trying to wrap his legs around its body as he attempted to lever himself around enough to free his right hand and his _tantō_. "Hina!" he gasped. "Get - 'way - from here!"

_"No!"_ she screamed again, the word clawing its way from her throat, tearing her vocal cords as viciously as the snapping fangs of the dog Sasuke fought to hold at bay. Through the thrumming of her racing pulse in her ears, she thought she heard Tenten yelling something, but she couldn't make herself look that way; couldn't take her eyes from the horror happening right in front of her, a horror she was too weak, too useless to prevent-

A roaring thunderbolt of white fur charged in from the left and with a flying leap seized the back of the wild dog's neck, tearing it off Sasuke in its passing. Landing several yards beyond, Kiba's immense dog ferociously shook his big head once, twice. A sharp _crack!_ made Hinata flinch; the next instant Akamaru tossed the limp body from his jaws with a fastidious flick and trotted toward them. After gently nudging Hinata's shoulder with his nose, he dipped his head toward the puppy in her arms and uttered a commanding bark, then swiftly loped back in the direction from which he'd come. When Bisuke squirmed in response she numbly released him, allowing the pup to run after the bigger dog.

For a second, maybe two, silence fell. As Sasuke tried to sit up, Hinata scrambled forward on hands and knees across the yard or so separating them. She barely managed to catch him as he slumped back with a stifled groan, his wounded arm cradled across his chest. She wobbled momentarily, trying to balance his weight, arms wrapped around his shoulders. The ragged up-and-down motion of his shoulder blades against her breasts as he breathed in rapid, shallow pants was painful, but she only dimly noticed. His head sagged backwards onto her shoulder, eyes tightly closed and lips folded in a hard line, a sheen of sweat shining on his pale skin. The sight of blood streaking freely down his arm from several deep punctures, the sluggish bleeding from deep gashes and scratches on his legs, visible through clawed rents in his black trousers, made her lock her jaws against nausea and incipient hysteria.

_What do I do? What _should_ I do? Is he going to die, right here in my arms?_

A grim-faced Tenten, liberally splattered with blood, suddenly thumped to her knees to Hinata's right. Less than a rapid heartbeat later Kiba, his expression extremely grave, rushed up from the left, Itachi on his heels. The elder Uchiha sibling dropped down on their left, looking stricken and, if possible, even whiter than Hinata felt.

_Sasuke!_ Itachi's lips soundlessly formed his brother's name just before he ruthlessly stripped off the fine black cotton shirt he wore. Quickly rolling it up into a pad, he pressed it over the wounds on Sasuke's forearm and clamped his hands around it, his knuckles whitening from the force he applied.

Temari stumbled to a halt behind Itachi, catching herself with a hand to his bare shoulder. "What-?" she started to ask, but was cut off by Kiba abruptly thrusting an arm toward Tenten, his fingers stiffly splayed.

"Tenten," his voice sounded unnaturally gruff and harsh to Hinata, "can I borrow your katana? I need the head so Hana can test-" He broke off with a flicker of a glance at Sasuke. Without a word Tenten bleakly handed the stained blade to him. He strode away toward where the dog who'd savaged Sasuke lay dead. A moment later a whistling swish and sharp thud made them all flinch.

Temari spoke again, her tone thin and frightened. "Itachi? 'Test' for what?"

"Rabies." The low answer surprisingly came not from Itachi, but from Sasuke. As Hinata's arms tightened convulsively at the dreaded word, he added quite conversationlly despite the pain in his voice, "You might know of it as 'hydrophobia.'"

Evidently Temari did because Hinata heard her sharp, horrified gasp. _No, no, no, Sasuke, no!_ She must have said the words aloud unawares, because the young man cracked his eyes open long enough to give her a glimmer of a glance from their corners.

"'S'okay, Hina," he murmured weakly, "there's a treatment for it. At least I'm pretty sure there's a treatment for it. Might miss the wedding, though-"

Hysterical tears threatened to break out of her control. To distract herself, Hinata turned her head away. Her glance fell on Kiba, nearly shivered away again at the sight of the severed dog's head dangling from his left hand. His unusual pose, though, caught her attention. Why was he bending over the carcass's hindquarters? As she watched he laid aside the head, grabbed and lifted one hind leg, bent even closer- Leapt to his feet and ran to do the same with the other three dead animals: Seize a hind leg, raise it, then lean over for, in her opinion, a gruesomely close look at - what?

Springing erect after the final inspection, Kiba sprinted back to them. "Guys!" he called ahead. "Don't bury him yet!" He skidded to a halt, a blazing expression of mingled hope and fury on his face. "They may not have been rabid, just wild mad from pain! They _all_ had pieces of wire twisted around their ba-" He abruptly choked off the rest of what he'd been about to say, going fiery red as his wide eyes flicked from Hinata to Temari to Tenten and around the circuit again. "I mean around their - _privates_." The last word came out as a hoarse whisper. "Hana will still check to make absolutely sure, but I really think Sasuke is going to be okay!"

Hinata saw Itachi's black eyes fill with tears. He raised a shaking hand to cup the back of his younger brother's neck, at the same time leaning forward to touch foreheads with him. "Little brother," she heard him murmur, his voice shaking, _"Sasuke-"_

"I-t-t-tachi, h-h-here," she whispered, relinquishing her hold on the younger Uchiha so the older could pull him into an embrace. And with it, apparently, her totally unexpected self-control, for everything suddenly rose up and assaulted her mind, her senses, her emotions, overwhelming her: The metallic reek of blood clogging her nostrils; the sight of blood congealing on the blade of Tenten's katana and on her bodyguard's clothing; a streak of Sasuke's blood drying on the side of her own arm where it must have brushed his; the heartstopping terror of the attack itself and what could have been - might _still_ be - its tragic aftermath. . .

The ringing in Hinata's ears rapidly became a deafening buzz blocking out all other sounds. Everything around her went abnormally bright yet very small and distant, as though the world was floating away from her. A grey haze built at the edges of her vision, swiftly darkening towards a blackness that swooped down on her, threatening to devour all sensation and blot out her consciousness. _No,_ she thought at it. But her denial was too weak, too lacking in fortitude to stave it off: Useless. One bitter, final thought drifted through her mind as the darkness claimed her for its own, sucked her down-

_Just like me._

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ Again, I'm sorry for the two-plus month wait! My beta is still dealing with a lot of health issues. And the motherboard on her (practically brand new) computer completely fried, and she didn't have a backup, so she had to wait for all of the files on her computer to be pulled off and saved, then to get her computer _back_ so she could continue her work. Plus she and I are still going through reworking portions of the story, and we had to do extensive research and choreography for the last scene in this chapter. We wanted it to be as realistic as possible, and I hope we got it right. Thank you all _so much_ for your patience, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Hope to see you again soon for the next!


	21. Wounded

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _rao hyuga 18_, _Metoochocolate_, _Seamew_, _Say-thelastword_, _misspandalily_, and _Animefangirl95_ for all your reviews! Your continued support means so much to me, especially with my unplanned hiatuses between updates. Also thanks to everyone who has added this to their favorites and follows lists!

**Author's Note:** Again, a thousand pardons for the super-late update. Once more, details are at the bottom of the chapter so you can get right to the update. Thanks for reading!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter XXI~*<strong>

_~Wounded~_

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><p>The fallout from the disastrous ending of their picnic outing began almost immediately, when Sasuke flatly insisted the incident not only be downplayed, but the details of what actually happened be kept secret as much as possible - especially from parents, or anyone remotely resembling an "'adult' authority figure," as he derisively put it.<p>

"But _why?_" Temari demanded once Kiba, after stressing one final time how critical it was to keep Sasuke's arm elevated so the puncture wounds wouldn't swell shut, departed to fetch Haruno Sakura, along with some of his own clothing for the brothers. She'd just returned from the lake where she and a revived but very subdued Hinata had helped Tenten in a rapid cleanup before the heiress and her bodyguard returned to the village. She snapped a scorching glare from Itachi to Sasuke and back. "The Uchiha are Konoha's police force. If that was one of _my_ brothers lying there with his arm bitten to the bone, I'd be rallying every resource to track down whoever is behind this - this _heinous_ attack!"

Sasuke, seated with his bare back to a tree trunk since his torn-up shirt now bandaged his deeper leg wounds, and his left elbow propped above shoulder level on a pile of the cushions they'd pilfered from the picnic, slitted his eyes open enough to shoot her a dark look through his thick lashes. Itachi, already struggling to keep his churning wrath and outrage as well as ongoing fear for his brother's life under control, felt hot little claws scrape down to the quick of every last one of his nerves. Too angry to blunt whatever scathing reply his brother chose to make, he felt considerably surprised when the younger man only murmured mildly, "If you don't mind, older brother, I'll leave it to you to explain the - mental vagaries - of our village's leader to your fiancée."

A look of guarded horror flashed across Temari's face, forcibly reminding Itachi of her own tragic family history. "You think _Hinata's father_-" she started to say in a choked whisper, but couldn't finish her question.

The additional anger sparked in Itachi by her words abruptly cooled. "Lord Hiashi's irrational hatred of all things Uchiha is well-known," he said briefly, "a hatred Lady Hinata fortunately does not share. To keep from having to accept an Uchiha as a son-in-law-" He shrugged, deeply uneasy about saying even that much. "I promise you, there _will_ be an investigation. But for the sake of Konoha-"

"_And_ Hinata herself," Sasuke interjected fiercely, his black eyes flying wide open.

"-And Hinata herself," Itachi agreed, "it will be handled very, very quietly."

Temari gazed at him, the sudden flicker of speculation in her eyes quickly smothered by the shadows of dark memories. "But surely Lord Fugaku- Lady Mikoto-" Her voice trailed off uncertainly as both brothers emphatically shook their heads. She huffed an exasperated breath. "Well, then, what are we supposed to tell them, if not the truth?"

Eyes once again closed, Sasuke promptly said, "That I was showing off for Lady Hinata and hurt myself. No need to go into any particulars, it's plausible enough to be accepted with minimal questioning from either parent. Dislocated shoulder, maybe, to explain why my arm will be in a sling; bruised hips and legs to account for the limp- I'm sure to take some heat for being so reckless this close to the wedding, but hey? What are brothers for, right, but to keep life interesting?"

Temari's eyes hooded as she pinched the bridge of her nose between the thumb and forefinger of her right hand. "I'm getting a _really_ bad feeling about this," she muttered. Lowering her hand, she folded her arms and raised her eyes to target Itachi with a penetrating look. "So let me guess: You want _me_ to break the news about Sasuke's 'accident' to Lady Mikoto."

Itachi gave her a wry smile as he extended the sole remaining unused pillow toward her, owning sense enough to keep silent despite how much he wanted to explain _why_ it was so vital knowledge of the attack be restricted. She shifted her gaze to the apparently oblivious Sasuke for another long moment; then turned her head to stare after the absent Hinata and Tenten. Finally she sighed gustily, flung up her hands and snapped crossly, "Oh, all right: I'll do it. I suppose letting your mother think Sasuke was just being - stupid - will be better for her nerves than knowing what really happened." Snatching the cushion, she muttered under her breath, "You two are _so_ going to owe me." Raising her voice again, she ordered tersely, "Itachi: Lean Sasuke forward so I can put this behind his back. He'll be more comfortable without the rough trunk against his bare skin."

"He," Sasuke agreed on a long sigh, "most certainly will be. Thank you."

Her lips twitched the least little bit as she turned away and leaned a shoulder against the tree. "You're welcome."

After that, there was nothing for Itachi to do but wait. . .

. . .as he watched his brother endure his pain in white-faced silence, all the time resisting his own guilty desire to succumb to the bursts of sick agony ricocheting inside his skull-

And wait. . .

. . . as his gaze periodically wandered to what little he could see of Temari's profile, the unpleasant certainty coiling ever more tightly in his gut that the very sharp mind inside her golden brown head was busily analyzing through an entirely different, darker lens the impact of arranged marriages on inter- and intravillage politics-

And wait. . .

. . . as he grimly battled back an almost overmastering urge to pace. To punch something. To charge into Konoha so he could sieze Hyuuga Hiashi by the throat and, village lord or no, violently _shake_ the truth from him. _Seriously,_ he thought, shifting position slightly for what felt like the hundredth time, _how long does it take - the need for discretion aside - to grab two shirts, a pair of pants, and the healer?_

When Kiba finally charged over the plateau's rim again, half helping, half hauling a woman along with him in a flat-out run, he nearly echoed Temari's low growl of "It's about time!" Akamaru loped along on the other side of his master, the pack harness he now wore making his massive white form look oddly misshapen and blotchy in the glare of the late afternoon sun. As they got close enough for him to see the sweat running down the healer's cherry-red face and dripping off her chin onto her heaving chest, Itachi thought she looked absurdly young: about as unlike Granny Chiyo and Noriyuki (or any other healer of his acquaintance) as he could imagine. He wondered in some alarm whether, Lady Tsunade's special protégée or not, he should allow her to tend to his brother now she'd finally arrived. From the corner of his eye he observed the barely discernable pucker between Temari's eyebrows, as well as the slight upward kink in one of them; evidence she harbored a similar if subdued skepticism. Itachi shifted his attention a subtle degree downward, and saw Sasuke also watching their approach, but with a faint grin on his pain-tautened lips.

Kiba and the healer skidded to a panting halt. Her apple-green gaze briefly brushed across Itachi's as she dipped her chin to him in a curt nod of acknowledgement, the barest token of a bow. Yet it was enough for him to see and recognize the focused, assessing intensity of the girl's - no, the _young woman's_, he quickly corrected himself - expression. Although Haruno Sakura might be the same age as Sasuke, Itachi no longer doubted her competency as a healer.

"Thanks for coming all the way up here, Sakura," Sasuke said, his eyelids drooping closed, the offhandedness of his tone falling just short of concealing how badly he hurt.

Sakura snorted as she took the large satchel Kiba had already unslung from Akamaru's harness and plunked it down next to the injured Uchiha. "Sasuke, you _idiot_!" she said ferociously. "I was _just_ getting off seventy-two straight hours on duty when Kiba came for me. Do you think you could _possibly_ have picked a more inconvenient time to be so _stupid_?"

"Hmmm. I _like_ this woman," Temari murmured. "What can I do to help, Healer?"

Sakura flicked her a quick assessing look. "Lady Temari, right?" she said. Pulling two pairs of scissors from her bag, she handed one pair to Temari. "What's left of Sasuke's trousers - and what I guess _was_ somebody's shirt - will have to come off. You can do that and start cleaning the wounds on his legs while I evaluate and treat his arm."

Without opening his eyes Sasuke instantly countered, "How about turning your back and giving a man some privacy? After all, _I'm_ not your fiancé." He sucked in a sharp breath through clenched teeth and grimaced as Sakura began carefully snipping away the blood-stiffened fabric of the improvised bandage wrapping his arm. "Itachi - can take care of - my pants."

Kiba took a rolled-up bundle of clothing from a canvas bag he'd just removed from his dog's harness. Handing it to Itachi, he gave him a meaningful look accompanied with a tiny sideways jerk of his head. "Sorry, younger brother," he said, setting the clothes aside, "but I need to talk to Kiba. I assure you, though," he sent a glimmer of a smile towards his betrothed, "my lady is an excellent caregiver." Kneeling next to Sasuke's legs, Temari held the scissors up and made a couple of evil-sounding _snicks_ with them. When she set about her task, however, Itachi noticed she did so with gentle hands.

The two men walked over to where the attack had occurred. "I've already talked to Hana," Kiba said in a low voice. Bending, he picked up the severed head of the dog that had mauled Sasuke and stuffed it into the bag that had held the clothes. "She's setting up her lab now so she can start the test as soon as she gets this."

"Thank you, Kiba," Itachi said fervently, "and please give my thanks to your sister, too. I can't begin to express how grateful I am for everything you - and Akamaru, of course," he scratched the huge dog behind one reddish-brown ear, "have done." Distastefully looking down at the headless corpse, then at the other scattered canine bodies, he went on, "In fact, I hesitate to impose on you further, but these all need to be disposed of somehow, and sooner rather than later. If you wouldn't mind helping me drag these away-"

Kiba clapped him on the shoulder. "No need for that, Itachi. You just worry about getting Sasuke - oh, and Sakura, too - home after she gets through with him," he said. "We've got the rest covered. Shikamaru and Naruto-"

The unexpected name hit Itachi like a fist to his solar plexus, making his whole body go rigid. Before he could react verbally, Kiba's grip tightened. Leaning in closer he said in an urgent undertone, "It's okay, Itachi. Naruto isn't here as a reporter. He's here as a member of the Council of Youngers. He totally agrees _that_ responsibility supersedes any duty he has as a journalist."

The pain in his head ratcheted even higher. Itachi closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, forcing his reluctant muscles to relax on the exhale. "'Council of Youngers'?" he repeated, latching onto the unfamiliar phrase in an attempt to distract his mind from the shock still thrumming through it.

Shrugging slightly Kiba took his hand from Itachi's shoulder. "Yeah. Someone - once used it to describe our group, just being funny, you know. Shikamaru thinks it's lame; but the moniker has kinda stuck."

_The "someone" probably being Uzumaki,_ Itachi thought wryly. _Oh, well. However loud, abrasive, and pushy I might think him, he must have some good qualities for Sasuke and Kiba to defend him so readily._ Aloud he said, "Please pardon my reaction. Uzumaki Naruto - seems to have a talent for getting on my nerves."

Kiba flashed a lopsided grin. "Don't sweat it. Naruto gets on _everyone's_ nerves. Anyway he and Shikamaru are waiting below the plateau's rim. The plan is for Naruto to take the head to Hana. Meanwhile Shikamaru, Akamaru and I are going to do some backtracking, see if we can find out anything about where these poor brutes came from. We'll bury the bodies deep in the woods after you've all gone back to Konoha." His brown gaze wandered past Itachi; turned grim as it lingered for a moment; returned as he released a long breath. "We'll let you know what we find. In the meantime, keep believing that Sasuke is going to be okay."

"I will." The two men grasped forearms before parting. Itachi hurried back to where the two women continued their ministrations to Sasuke. When he knelt across from her, Temari paused long enough to give him a concerned look. Instead of asking any of the questions he saw teeming in her eyes, she silently handed him what he needed to help and returned to cleaning the dried blood and dirt from his brother's left leg. Thankful for her restraint he set to work as well.

Considering the steep first part of the ride facing them, the sun had dipped far too low in the sky for Itachi's liking by the time they were ready to return to Konoha: a ride he knew Sasuke was in no condition to make on his own. He braced for an argument from his brother over the need to ride double - at least to the bottom of the trail - only to feel equally astonished and relieved when Sasuke only looked at him dully before nodding a listless agreement.

"Although I hope you won't take this wrong, older brother," Sasuke joked weakly once Itachi mounted Taka behind him, "but you are _so_ not who I planned on riding with."

Their shadows, so well-defined when they began the downward trek, had gradually faded and blurred into the soft blueness of twilight by the time they reached the bottom. Before rounding the base of the cliff into view of the village walls, they paused long enough for Itachi to transfer to Mayonaka; then slowly continued on to the western gate. The sentries, members of the Hyuuga Guard Corps contingent, gave them sharply curious looks as they passed into the village, where Sakura took her deliberately casual leave of them; but asked no questions and made no comments.

However, the older distant cousin in charge of the small rear portal closest to the part of the Uchiha estate housing the stables showed no such restraint. Rather than expressing surprise or dismay over Sasuke's injured arm, he shook his head and inquired darkly, "Aren't you past the age for climbing trees, Sasuke? Let alone falling _out_ of them?"

Keeping Taka mincing steadily forward Sasuke lightly shot back, "Not when there are ladies to impress with my prowess."

Scowling, the man snorted and folded his arms. "Oh, and _very_ impressed she looks, all right."

Itachi sensed Temari bristling just as his brother and cousin both burst out laughing. Fumiya reached up to give Sasuke a friendly clout on the side of the leg with the back of his hand. . .

Right on top of a gash that had taken eight stitches to close. Feeling his own leg jerk in sympathy, Itachi saw Sasuke sway in his saddle. Even as his muscles tensed to urge Mayonaka forward in case he needed to catch the younger man, Temari gasped and flinched. Her mount stamped her front legs, tossing her head in nervous response.

It was just the distraction his brother needed to collect himself. Fumiya instinctively turned toward Temari, right hand ready to catch Sanraizu's bridle if the mare showed signs of bolting. At the same time he said kindly, "Easy now, lass, no need to fire up over a bit of fun between cousins. Especially _first_ cousins: Right, Sasuke?"

"First cousins about five hundred times removed." Sasuke's reply floated back over his shoulder to them as he continued to ride on, sounding more than a little breathless.

Quickly altering his original impulse, Itachi made his stallion sidle close enough to Temari to reach out and touch her elbow, subtly urging her forward in Sasuke's wake. ""Five hundred times removed' is a bit exaggerated," he said, smiling at her meaningfully. "But we are all _family_ here. "

She blinked at him a couple of times. Then, "Of course, all - family," she said smoothly, picking up on his cue. She inclined her head to Fumiya with a charming smile as they passed through the gate as well. "All you Uchiha are just _so_ much to get used to."

Fortunately not only were the grooms on duty when they rode into the stableyard all boys in their early teens, barely past their apprenticeships in their clan duties: The senior groom overseeing them was a contemporary of the old Lord Uchiha, their grandfather, whom even Fugaku had not managed to retire; a fierce elderly curmudgeon who deplored what he called the "scandalously free and easy ways" of the younger generation. So even though he ran a scathing eye over Sasuke to communicate his disapproval of a son of the main bloodline returning in such a disgraceful state, no one else dared anything beyond a concerned look as they dismounted and slowly started up the long series of switchbacked steps leading to the rear of the house.

"Whew!" Temari puffed out a soft exclamation once they were safely out of earshot of the stableyard. "Who _was_ that old guy with the evil eye? Another distant cousin?"

"Who? Tatsuo?" Itachi replied absently, most of his attention on his brother's bowed shoulders. "Yes, though not quite as distant as Fumiya. I think he might be a second cousin four times removed. Or something like that." He'd followed Sasuke up several more steps before he realized Temari was no longer just behind him. Pausing he glanced over his shoulder and saw her staring up at him with a disturbed expression. "Temari? What is it?"

"I - was actually joking. I understand the gate Corps being Uchiha- But are you saying _all_ the servants are Uchiha as well?"

Itachi stared back at her, her form going all blurry in the muted light falling from the electric lanterns strung overhead. He rubbed a hand over his eyes, refusing to yield to the intense pain trying to claw its way through their sockets. The only thought his mind seemed capable of producing was a muddled, _Do I really have to deal with this _now_? _But hearing Sasuke's sharp, shocked inhalation and despite his own initial respone of feeling offended, he knew this time he had to speak before his brother could.

"No, Temari," he said, unable to keep the tiredness from his voice. "I'm saying all the _staff_ in the compound are Uchiha going about their various and appropriate clan duties. We aren't all suited to be police officers or guards. This is our _home_, and we all do our parts in maintaining it."

Temari blushed deeply and turned her head away from him, but not before he saw tears of embarrassment welling into her eyes. "I'm sorry, Itachi," she said, making an obvious effort to keep her voice from shaking, and just as obviously failing. "I didn't mean any insult to you or the Uchiha clan. It's just - the Sabaku have never been - numerous-"

He sighed, feeling like an unmitigated jerk. Despite sensing waves of affront still radiating from Sasuke, he turned and descended a couple of steps toward her. "I'm the one who should apologize, Temari," he said, as much to his brother as to his fiancée. "I reacted - badly. It was a misunderstanding, made worse by coming at the end of a very long and difficult day." Leaning forward he brushed a gentle finger along what he could see of her left cheek. While she didn't stiffen or pull away from that tiny caress, neither did she turn her head into it. A sudden sad yearning swelled up inside him. Would the day ever come when she not only welcomed but actively sought his touch?

"Is Comparative Estate Management 101 over now?" Sasuke's sarcastic voice broke in on his thoughts. "Or should I just try to get comfortable here until you've finished?"

Swallowing back a sigh Itachi lowered his hand. Temari leaned to one side to peek past him. "He _is_ looking pretty wobbly, Itachi," she said. "He probably won't like it, but I think he's going to need some help getting the rest of the way up these steps."

In the end it took both of them to get a rapidly sagging Sasuke to his rooms. While Temari turned down the bed and gathered extra pillows, Itachi got his brother out of his borrowed clothes and into a yukata. Once they had younger man settled into bed, Temari caught Itachi's eyes with her own. She jerked her head slightly toward the door to the main room. When he followed her out of the bedroom, she halted, removed two parchment packets from her pocket, and held them out to Itachi.

"Pain medicine and an antibiotic," she said softly in response to Itachi's inquiring look as he accepted them. "Sakura said to make sure one of these," she tapped the smaller packet, "is put under his tongue every six hours for the next couple of days - regardless of whether or not _he_ thinks he needs it. The antibiotic he'll take twice a day for the next two weeks starting tomorrow. She also said she'll drop by tomorrow with a cleansing solution to use on his wounds every day."

"Pain medicine every six hours, antibiotic twice a day starting tomorrow," he repeated dutifully, holding each packet up in turn. He raised his gaze to her face. "Temari-"

The dim light from the room behind them sparked deep golden glints from her spiky ponytails as she shook her head sharply, stopping him from saying anything else. "I promise I'll do my best to keep Lady Mikoto from coming to check on Sasuke," she said. She started to turn away; hesitated; turned back again to grab him in a hard, awkward hug. Her hair brushed his jawline, teasing his nose with a faint breath of jasmine. . .

. . .And then she was gone.

Itachi stared after her, every nerve ending where her body had pressed against his brought to blazing life by that brief contact. Drawing a shaken breath, he returned to his brother's bedside. Extracting a gummy, pea-sized ball of pain medicine he bent over Sasuke and touched it to his lips. "Open up, younger brother," he said. "This needs to go under your tongue." Sasuke's eyelids twitched and squeezed even more tightly shut; his lips briefly rolled inward before he signed and gave in with no other sign of protest.

To Itachi's relief whatever medicine the pellet contained was potent. Within a matter of minutes the tight lines of pain around his brother's eyes and mouth eased away as his whole body visibly relaxed. With Sasuke resting comfortably, and Temari apparently successful in deterring Mikoto from rushing in to hover over her injured younger son, Itachi took the opportunity to see to his own needs: a quick bath, a pot of tea, and a futon to spread on the floor next to Sasuke's bed.

Dimming the table lamp to its lowest level Itachi stretched out on the futon, muffling the groan that wanted to rumble up from the pit of his stomach. Unwilling to take anything for his own pain, and with the day's images and emotions cycling and recycling through his mind like a Moebius strip, he didn't anticipate getting any sleep. He must have drifted off at some point, however; a whispered, "'Tachi? 'Tachi, you there?" from somewhere above him brought him jerking back to wakefulness.

He pushed up into a sitting position, then rotated onto his knees. "I'm here, younger brother," he said reassuringly. A quick glance at the bedside timepiece showed roughly five hours had passed. "What do you need?"

"Necessary," Sasuke croaked. "But - can't get m'legs to move."

"No problem," Itachi said, suppressing his amusement over the half-surprised, half-aggrieved tone of Sasuke's voice. "I'll help you there and back."

With that issue resolved and Sasuke back in his supporting nest of pillows, Itachi sank down cross-legged onto the futon and rested his back against the edge of the bed. However long he'd slept, it'd been enough to take the edge off his exhaustion and mute his headache to a dull throb. With less than an hour until Sasuke's next dose of pain medicine, he couldn't see much point in trying to fall asleep again. Instead he opened himself to the familiar and beloved nighttime sounds of the sleeping estate and the village beyond: the tiny chirrings of insects, the soothing whisper of the breeze trailing its fingers past the open windows, the occasional haunting call of a nocturnal bird-

The bed shook slightly against his back as Sasuke shifted position. A moment later he spoke, his low voice barely stirring the night's stillness. "So, big brother, who do you think was behind the attack? Hinata's father? Or ours?"

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry, but- That's it? That's the story? Lord Sasuke got hurt falling out of a <em>tree?<em>" Though she spoke in a low tone appropriate to the public surroundings of Akamichi's, where they'd met Ino at her request - ostensibly for tea - Tenten tried, and failed, to keep the disbelief from her voice. She looked dubiously from Ino to Chouji, who had joined them; then at Hinata, who simply took another sip of her tea, her expression merely one of polite interest. They might have been discussing the weather, rather than the horrific events of the previous day.

Chouji nodded reassuringly, his brown eyes crinkling above his round cheeks. "Implausible as it might sound, Tenten, no one who knows Sasuke will doubt it for a minute."

Ino giggled and nodded vigorously in agreement. "It would be _just like_ him to want to demonstrate to Hina how to climb - or rather how _not_ to climb - a tree. In fact, when we were kids, Sasuke and _Naruto_," the blonde looked slyly sideways at Hinata, "had quite the tree-climbing competition going on, until _Naruto_ nearly killed himself by falling out of one at home. -Hinata!" With a toss of her long ponytail, Ino leaned over to peer closely at her friend's face. "That's _twice_ now I've said Naruto's name, and you're not the _slightest_ bit pink! What _gives?_"

Tenten, who'd also noticed the heiress's lack of reaction to Ino's tactless teasing, nearly held her breath as she waited for her mistress to respond; especially in front of the startled-looking Chouji.

Hinata lifted one shoulder in a miniscule shrug. "Oh, that," she said, her tone coolly indifferent. "I've c-come to realize my infatuation with N-Naruto was just that: A silly, childish infatuation with n-no chance of ever b-being anything more. It should n-never have t-taken me so long t-to admit it."

"Oh," Ino responded uncertainly. She flashed Tenten a completely nonplussed look from under her lashes. The nebulous sense of foreboding that had haunted Tenten since their return to the estate the day before deepened. She bit her lower lip at this evidence Ino also found cause for concern in Hinata's behavior.

_Shock. It has to be shock_, she told herself. _After all, Hinata has lived most of her life in a very repressive atmosphere. It'd only be natural for her to keep everything bottled up inside her. This is just how she's dealing with the shock of what happened yesterday. _

Seemingly oblivious to her friends' reactions, Hinata set down her teacup. Her pale gaze drifted around the semi-private alcove in which they sat. "You and your f-father have such a l-lovely place, Chouji," she murmured. "I am v-very glad I've at l-last gotten t-to experience it."

As Chouji beamed and thanked her, Ino drew a deep breath, the look on her face instantly making Tenten apprehensive about what she intended to say. Before the flighty blonde could speak, movement in the open seating part of the restaurant beyond caught Tenten's attention. She quickly held up a hand and said in an urgent undertone, "Kiba's coming."

Mouth and eyes rounding in a look of vivid dread, Ino burst into high-pitched, nervous giggles; choked; and began coughing uncontrollably. _What a rotten conspirator she is!_ Tenten thought impatiently, even as Kiba halted at the entrance to their alcove and said cheerily, "Hi, guys! Got room for one more thirsty soul?" Slipping agilely past Chouji's bulk, he nudged Ino's shoulder, forcing her to make room for him. Folding onto his knees, he went on in a much lower, disgusted tone, "Geez, Ino, it's a good thing everybody in Konoha knows you're an airhead. Can you try to be a little less obvious?" He shifted his attention from a sputtering Ino to glance at the other three in turn. "I've just come back from letting Sasuke and Itachi know the results of the test Hana did on the brain. It was negative for rabies. Sasuke is going to be fine."

Ino sucked in a noisy gasp and almost started coughing again, her hands flying toward her face; but then, in an apparent effort to heed Kiba's blunt advice, she forced them back down. Clasping them in her lap, she focused her teary-eyed attention on the _bonsai_ gracing the niche in the wall above the table. Hinata closed her eyes and went very, very still, seemingly not even breathing. Uttering a silent, heartfelt prayer of gratitude Tenten allowed her eyes to close briefly, her burden of guilty shame lightening a little.

Chouji moved his shoulders slightly up and down, so from the back he would seem to be chuckling over some joke Kiba had just made. "That is _excellent_ news," he said huskily. "Thanks for coming so quickly to let us know, Kiba."

As the women added a soft chorus of agreement, Kiba picked up the cup Chouji pushed in his direction. Turning the fragile porcelain idly in his calloused fingers, he said, "Yeah." He stared soberly into the cup for a moment, then shook his head slightly. Looking around at them he asked, "So, has Ino told you anything about what Shikamaru and I found when Akamaru backtracked the dogs' scent into the woods?"

"I was just about to get to it when you showed up," Ino said defensively. "Chouji and I had just finished explaining to Tenten why Sasuke falling out of a tree makes such a good cover story. I suppose _you_ want to tell them, though, now you're here."

Not for the first time, Tenten felt more than a little appalled at Ino's apparent shallowness. _I just don't understand her,_ she thought. _Doesn't she realize how serious it would have been if the test had come back positive instead of negative? Or how dangerous it was for Kiba and Shikamaru - who's supposed to be her _boyfriend -_ to do something like that? _

Hinata tapped the tabletop lightly with her fingernails, saying quietly but firmly, "I think a f-firsthand account would b-be more informative. What d-did you d-discover, Kiba?"

Kiba tipped his head respectfully to Hinata. "Akamaru led us to a shallow cave close to where the foothills begin," he answered promptly. "We found several holes in the floor where it looked like stakes been driven into the ground, along with, ah, a lot of evidence the dogs had been kept there for a while. Also - and this is the really creepy part - there were symbols scratched in the dirt at the cave's entrance, as well as drawn on the inner walls in what looked like," he dropped his voice even lower, "_blood_."

Tenten instantly went on the alert. "Symbols?" she asked sharply, keeping her voice just above a whisper. "What kind of symbols? Can you describe them?"

"I can do better than that. Shikamaru copied them." Reaching into an inner pocket of his jacket, he drew out a folded piece of paper. Smoothing it out on the tabletop, he added, "Though I guess to be strictly accurate, it was actually only _one_ symbol drawn over and over. We especially wanted Tenten's input on it since she's traveled so widely."

Along with Hinata, Ino and Chouji, Tenten leaned forward to study what Shikamaru had sketched. Although not really sure what she'd expected to see, disappointment rippled through her as she studied the simple, singularly un-ominous design.

"A tri-triangle inside a c-circle," Hinata said musingly. "It looks like s-something from one of Iruka-sensei's g-geometry lessons. Have you ever s-seen anything like it, Tenten?"

"I don't think so." Tenten unconsciously sighed as she straightened. "I wish I could take it with me and ask Kakashi about it. He went to a lot of really strange, barbaric places before he adopted me."

Kiba refolded the paper and put it back in his pocket. "It was worth a try. Shikamaru has already started doing research on it. Some others on the Council of Youngers will be looking into it, too."

Hinata froze in the act of reaching for her teacup, her nearly colorless eyes locking onto Kiba. "C-Council of _wh-what?_"

Ino quickly put a hand to her mouth to stifle another of her irritating giggles, earning frowns from both Kiba and Chouji. "'Council of Youngers,'" she repeated before he could reply. "It's Naruto's name for all of us. You know, like how our fathers or mother all belong to the Council of Elders, which serves _your_ father? Only as Konoha's next generation, we serve the future leader of our village - _you_."

For the first time since she'd come out of her faint after the picnic's chaotic end, Tenten saw a deeply disturbed expression flicker through her mistress's emotional detachment. "How - creative," she said. If none of the others seemed to notice the faintness of that comment, Tenten definitely did. The heiress's lavender-touched eyes flicked up to meet hers ever so briefly, only to shutter again so swiftly, Tenten felt as though a door had been slammed in her face. Hinata looked away, ultimately leaving the rest of her tea untouched.

Having fulfilled his purpose in stopping by Akamichi's, Kiba soon took his leave of them. Chouji very shortly returned to his duties as well. The women lingered a brief while longer, but even Ino seemed unable to maintain any sort of a conversation. Within fifteen minutes they parted outside the restaurant: Ino to return to her family's florist shop, Tenten and Hinata turning their steps toward the Hyuuga estate.

Seeming inclined to dally Hinata set a leisurely pace, the soft clicks of her _geta_ keeping time with the gentle swishing of her fan in front of her face. Tenten followed a couple of paces behind: purposefully immersing herself in being the watchful guardian Kakashi had trained her to be; sternly repressing any thought or emotion that might interfere with that job. Once they finally passed through the gates into the Hyuuga compound, however, Hinata paused so Tenten could walk alongside her along the spotless white paving stones.

"T-tomorrow is the last Friday of the m-month," she said, the sunlight giving her hair a lustrous, blue-black sheen when she turned her head for a glance up at the Tower as they passed it. "T-time for the household accounts again."

"Somehow it seems as though it should be a whole lot longer than it's really been," Tenten murmured on a long sigh. "So much has happened in the last month."

"Yes." Beyond that quiet exchange, neither spoke again until they arrived in Hinata's suite. As Tenten removed the narrow leather baldric supporting her sheathed katana and laid it aside, Hinata stopped in the center of the sitting room. Gazing outward into the garden, she asked very softly, "Tenten: D-do you have any - regrets - about b-becoming my friend as well as my b-bodyguard?"

Shocked by the unexpected question, Tenten straightened and turned so quickly she nearly lost her balance and stumbled sideways. Hurt ripped from her heart upward into her throat, nearly choking her. Her eyes stung. "Do I regret-? _No_, Hinata! No!"

Hinata gave her a faintly reproving glance from the corners of her eyes. "I'm not asking b-because of yesterday, Tenten. I meant what I t-told you last night - d-despite how blasphemous you think it is. I d-do not now, nor shall I ever, believe even the legendary Hatake Kakashi c-could have stopped all four of those b-beasts. I am s-simply saying I would t-totally understand if you d-did." She bowed her head, adding in a barely audible voice, "Your bond with your brother, the _trust_ between you, has been d-damaged, b-because of your association with m-me. Now you have to g-guard your every word around him. By acting as the g-go-between for me and Neji, you are f-forced to d-disobey him by sneaking out at night. You even have t-to lie t-to him. Inadequate as it m-may s-sound, I am s-so _s-sorry_, Tenten."

Swallowing back her first, automatic response as insultingly glib, Tenten ducked her chin toward her chest. For several moments she searched beyond the surfaces of her heart and mind, probing down into their deepest, most secret places, before saying slowly, "I - regret having to lie to Kakashi. Partly because he's my big brother, partly because lying is just, well, basically _wrong_. But as for the rest. . ."

Her voice trailed off, a strong certitude unexpectedly burgeoning within her, rooted in both heart and brain; a literal "moment of truth" such as Kakashi had included in his teaching stories, piercing her with equal parts of blazing joy and burning pain. A series of images flashed through her mind: memories of the years spent with the man who truly _was_ her dearly loved elder brother in everything but blood. Other images swiftly supplanted them: Newer memories of Neji that, though fewer in number, sparked in her an unfamiliar, bittersweet longing.

_I'm a woman now,_ she thought, sad on one level, yet strangely excited on another. _I've grown beyond needing the comfort of a brother. I crave the comfort of a different kind of man. A man who will be my life partner in every way._

With this new self-awareness thrumming through her she stepped closer to Hinata, who lifted her head to lock eyes with hers. "As for the rest," Tenten went on earnestly, "I will _always_ love and respect Kakashi as my brother. I will _always_ be grateful to him for everything he's done for me. And yet. . . At some point I _have_ to stop being 'just' his little sister, walking in his footsteps and living under his guidance. As an adult I have to be my _own_ person. I have to make my own decisions and accept the consequences of them, good and bad. And that means it's possible he and I might eventually, even with the best possible motives on each side, find ourselves taking opposite stands on an - issue. Professionally as well as personally."

Hinata's eyes appeared uncannily like her father's as they seemed to probe Tenten's soul for the truth her words. "I b-believe you," she whispered, inclining her raven head in the tiniest of nods. A gentle scratching at the outer door interrupted them before the fleeting glimpse of what? _sadness? fright?_ Tenten thought she saw flit across the Hyuuga woman's face truly registered.

She quickly went to open the door. A bowing housemaid extended a small message scroll, sealed with red wax and a white ribbon. "For our lady," the girl said, keeping her eyes downcast. Tenten dismissed her with a word of thanks and closed the door again. As she carried it over to Hinata, she turned it over in her fingers, her sharp eyes and trained fingers examining it for any sign of tampering or intended mischief. Pointing to a barely perceptible smudge on the white ribbon that might - or might not - have been the result of the red dye from the hot wax seeping beyond its boundary, she handed to the other woman.

Nodding to show she understood, Hinata made a prolonged production of breaking the seal, sliding off the confining ribbon, and unrolling the eggshell white sheet. She silently read it once; twice; a third time, inspiring Tenten with the urge to bounce in frustrated curiosity. Sternly reminding herself of the enormous difference, despite the friendship between them, in their statuses, she restrained herself. Instead, she observed how the heavy parchment trembled in Hinata's hands and wondered what message the scroll contained. They already knew from Kiba that Sasuke was not at risk for rabies. Yet even without that dread diagnosis hanging over him, she abruptly remembered with a thrill of alarm Kakashi teaching her how dog bites could lead to still other, perhaps equally life-threatening, infections. Surely in the short time since leaving Akamichi's the younger Uchiha brother hadn't taken a drastic turn for the worse! Tenten's fingers itched with the urge to snatch the scroll away from the heiress and read it.

Unobtrusively she drew in a deep breath through her nose and released it through barely parted lips, forcing the evil image from her mind. A more welcome thought occurred to her as Hinata finally let the parchment curl in on itself again even as she continued to stare sightlessly at it. Perhaps the message within conveyed a personal reassurance sufficiently strong enough to break through the unnatural emotional shutdown holding Hinata in thrall. Initially relieved when, after the shattering experience of the attack and its aftermath, her mistress made the trek back to Konoha on some kind of numb auto-pilot, Tenten had expected _some_ kind of reaction from the heiress once within the safety and privacy of her suite: quiet hysterics, uncontrollable tears, nightmares, _something_. But instead she'd remained in this state of almost eerie calm and detachment. She knew this without doubt, having lain awake the majority of night wrestling with her own punishing demons of inadequacy and self-recrimination. Maybe now at last, she thought hopefully, some of that abnormally repressed emotion was about to escape-

-Or not. Coming out of her reverie Hinata calmly said, "We will need a s-social secretary before long to k-keep track of our engagements. Lady Mikoto not only invites us t-to have tea with her and S-Sarutobi Kurenai n-next week to share m-memories of m-my m-mother, but also t-to attend the official unveiling of Lord Itachi and Lady Temari's formal wedding p-portrait in ten days' t-time." Tightening the scroll so it would fit back into its confining white ribbon, she added dryly, "She also profoundly apologizes for what she calls Sasuke's 'exasperating proclivity' for falling out of trees."

Tenten shrugged and spread her hands wide. "I guess I'm like Lady Temari and picnics - only I would never have thought of climbing trees for the fun of it."

Hinata tipped her slightly to one side, her gaze wandering out to the garden again. "Neji and I used t-to climb trees when we were l-little, b-before everything - changed. That's how we f-found the gazebo."

"Seriously?" Tenten got a vivid mental image of the barely more than toddler-sized Hyuuga cousins scrambling upward through the branches of an improbably tall tree, laughing and exchanging dares as they left the ground far below them. "Then along with throwing shuriken, that gives you something else in common with Lord Sasuke."

As she'd done earlier, both in Akamichi's and after reading Lady Mikoto's letter, Hinata froze into absolute stillness for the space of several heartbeats. Then, lifting one shoulder in a delicate half-shrug, she said, "Yes, I suppose it d-does," before she headed toward her study. "I should send a reply to Lady Mikoto right away. Would you p-please send for a servant, Tenten?"

"Of course," Tenten responded automatically, feeling a ripple of unease go through her at the offhandedness of that response. As she moved to fulfill Hinata's request, she thought, _Now _what _kind of answer was_ that_?_

A faint, underlying sense of alarm plagued Tenten as the remainder of the day passed uneventfully. It threaded sinuously, continuously through the back of her mind and unsettled her dreams. She'd expected to waken with happy anticipation on September's final Friday, knowing as she did she and Neji had already agreed to rendezvous in the gazebo later in the day. Instead she woke with a feeling almost of trepidation. Going about her normal morning routine as Hinata with seemingly unruffled serenity did the same, she felt a sudden sharp pinch of resentment nip her heart. Standing in front of the mirror in the dressing room between the necessary and the bathing room, she jabbed a final pin into her left hair bun. Maybe the heiress had learned at her father's ice-cold knee the trick of sealing away inconvenient emotions, but _she_ on the other hand-

. . ._You must constantly remember you are here to be Lady Hinata's bodyguard, Tenten: Not her friend._ Her brother's admonition whispered from her memory into the forefront of her consciousness.

Shame flooded hotly from the crown of her head to the pit of her stomach. Had she not been taught the same lesson by a far kinder teacher? And had she not passed on a portion of that teaching as well while teaching Hinata how to handle shuriken and knives? To blame the other woman for her own emotional predicament was selfishly unfair. _She_, Tenten, had made the choice to befriend her mistress rather than keeping her at the proper professionally dictated distance: A choice aided, she now acknowledged painfully, by her own hidden desire for a female friend. _She_, Tenten, had let her personal dislike of Lord Hiashi fuel her curiosity and imagination, enabling them to run rampant over Neji's situation - which, however tragic she might privately consider it, was ultimately none of her business. No, she had no one but herself to blame; and if she still possessed even a shred of honor or integrity he had tried so hard to instill in her, she would go to Kakashi and confess her failings, even if that meant losing some of his regard and her position as Hinata's bodyguard.

But as she stared into her reflected eyes, Tenten knew with irrevocable certainty she did not have the inner strength to make _that_ choice. The bitter truth of the words she'd spoken earlier in claiming her adulthood rose up and wrapped her in its barbed chains. She'd made her decisions and chosen her path. Even if, as looked increasingly likely, Hinata married Sasuke, she could not abandon the heiress in the interim. And as for Neji- A smoldering wave of longing went through her on an intense tremor that left her dizzy. Not just for his sake, but now also for her own, she could not turn her back on him and send him back into his lonely exile, no matter the outcome or consequences.

A hesitant tapping on the wall next to the closed door brought Tenten back to awareness of her external surroundings. "Tenten?" Hinata's concerned voice drifted in to her. "Are you all right? It's nearly t-time t-to go."

Quickly drawing and releasing a deep breath as she gave herself a vigorous shake, Tenten grabbed the loose strands of hair on the right side of her head, twisting them up into their habitual bun. She used her elbow to slide the door open, at the same time thrusting in the confining pins. "Sorry, Hina," she said, "bad hair day. It just doesn't seem to want to stay put for some reason. And the last thing I need is for it to come loose during a sparring match."

Tucking a fan into her _obi_ Hinata replied, "Isn't it aggravating how th-that happens sometimes? Stick-straight as m-my hair is, there are d-days when all it wants to do is frizz and p-poke out every which way."

No choreographed ambush - or observant Kakashi - awaited Tenten when she made her way to the barracks after parting from Hinata at the Tower steps. Instead she received a deep bow from the sentry on gate duty along with a message from Captain Genma requesting her to report to his office on her arrival. With more curiosity than concern she promptly obeyed. Slightly surprised to find no aide in the outer office - in fact, there _was_ no outer office - she knocked on the door's frame to announce her presence.

Looking up from his review of the reports stacked on his desk he waved her inside. Speaking around the ever-present toothpick in his mouth, the captain proceeded to give her two wildly unexpected surprises: She now possessed status equal to a squad leader within the Elite Corps; and a mini-suite of changing room, bathing room, and toilet room had been added to the end of the Corps's bath house for her private use.

All, he explained, by direct order of Lord Hiashi after he'd received Genma's report on her "exam" the previous month.

_I _still _think the guy is a first-class jerk,_ she thought as she sank into the steamy comfort of the deep tub after her workout. Although she'd very properly expressed her thanks and appreciation earlier, she'd also mentally uttered a couple of (relatively) mild swear words. _Although - it _will_ be nice meeting Neji without smelling like I haven't had a bath since the last time we saw each other._ She let her gaze wander around the small but perfectly appointed space. _I need to get a spare set of clothes to bring down with me next month. A village the size of Konoha is bound to have two or three good secondhand stores. This time I'll just have to put my sweaty clothes back on,_ she suddenly remembered the set of shelves built into one corner of the changing room, with its neatly stacked towels and pearl grey yukata, _unless I layer a couple of those yukata over my undies. . ._

Half an hour later, holding the loose sleeves of the yukata and the bundle of her regular clothing tucked closely to her body to prevent their tangling in the verdant walls of the passageway to the gazebo, Tenten traveled the narrow path through the towering bushes. She knew she was running ahead of the time they had set, but she couldn't help herself from arriving early. _Maybe, maybe, maybe,_ the happy thought sang in rhythm with the excited thumping of her heart, _Neji will be early, too?_

Even when the deliciously fragrant interior of the gazebo proved empty of anything but sunlight and shadow, along with the occasional errant bee, Tenten's ebullient mood didn't dip. After all, _he_ wasn't late; _she_ was early. Laying aside her katana along with her folded together tunic and pants she settled to the sun-warmed wooden floor, instinctively choosing a spot where she could see the approach to the entrance without being seen herself, content to wait. Anticipation built pleasurably inside her, the memory of Neji's hands on her waist nearly as tangible as his living touch.

_This is where Neji sits._ Tenten lightly brushed her fingertips over the boards on either side of her. One small, practical fragment of her mind rolled its eyes and told her just to _Get a grip!_ But she ignored it, choosing to savor the unaccustomed but very pleasant emotions churning within her as her lips turned upward in a tiny smile.

Time passed. In the garden outside birds trilled musical conversations, while inside the gazebo the scent of roses intensified.

But when the agreed-upon time arrived, Neji did not.

At first Tenten, though disappointed at his tardiness, remained calm. Just because it was her day off, she knew he did not have such a luxury. He could be called upon for extra duties at any moment; such as when he'd been pressed into conveying Tenten's meager belongings to Hinata's suite the day of her hiring as the heiress's bodyguard. Plus he had to be even more cautious about his movements than she did. Badly as she regretted the lost time they could have had together, her anxiety level only began to ratchet upward once the tally of passing minutes approached fifteen: a third of their self-allotted span. Without initially realizing it, she rocked back and forth as though keeping tempo with an invisible metronome. She made herself stop as soon as she became aware of the motion, unaware of how her hands immediately balled into fists, all the while sternly squelching the several grim scenarios trying to crowd their way in front of her mind's eye. Getting to her feet, she paced as far as the side of the doorway and stood there with eyes and ears straining for any hint of his approach.

_Neji, where are you?_

Ten more minutes crept past, each one feeling like it dragged a year of her life along with it. When he finally appeared, seemingly materializing from the greenery of the passage into the clearing, Tenten hurtled without thinking out the door and down the steps. Before he'd taken more than a couple of steps into the sunlight, she'd all but bounced off his chest again as she impulsively seized him in a fierce embrace. "You're here, you're here, you're okay!" she exclaimed, her senses filled with his solidness under her hands and in her arms, his slightly earthy masculine smell, the sound of his suddenly rapid heartbeat under her left ear.

Before he could react, however, she skittered a few steps backward, feeling as though all the heat of the sun pouring down around them was suddenly concentrated in her face. "Um, Lord Neji," she mumbled, looking down at the ground between them. Her palms actually tingled with the desire to touch him again, so she resolutely clasped them behind her back. _Tenten,_ she silently castigated herself, _you're an idiot._

Was it her imagination, or did the calloused pads of his fingers brush along her jawline? "My Lady Tenacity," he said gravely. "I apologize for alarming you with my lateness. I assure you, it was unavoidable. Shall we go into the gazebo?"

Not trusting her voice at the moment, Tenten nodded and preceded him. She folded down onto her heels in the dappled shadow on one side of the patch of sunlight. Neji knelt across from her. He rested his long hands on his thighs as he simply gazed at her for a long moment, his expression unusually solemn even for him.

Tenten fought back an urge to fidget under that steady silvery regard. "I'm sorry I barreled into you like that - again," she blurted out. "Really, I know it isn't easy for you to slip away like this during the daytime. I guess my imagination just kinda got carried away-"

"Tenten." Just her name spoken softly, but with such a wealth of underlying pain it was like the featherlight touch of fingers on her lips, silencing her. "Tenten. If you hadn't backed away so quickly, I would have hugged you back." He paused before adding in a nearly inaudible voice, "Which would have been very wrong of me."

"Oh." Tenten wrestled with conflicting feelings of hurt and confusion. Looking straight into his eyes, she asked, "Why?"

Neji swallowed hard, but didn't flinch from her gaze. "Partly because of what I must tell you. The last night we met here, I wasn't - ready - for our time together to be over. So - I followed you."

A jolt of astonishment went straight through the heart of Tenten's already damaged professional pride. Neji had _followed_ her through the estate's gardens? And _this_ was the first she knew of it? Another question suddenly occurred to her; one she dreaded to ask, but to which she had to know the answer. "How - far?"

"Far enough." His knuckles whitened as he dug his fingers into his quads. "I saw your meeting with your brother. _And_ I heard what he told you."

The blood rushed from Tenten's head, collecting in her belly as a throbbing mass of sick terror. She swayed unsteadily, her eyesight going dark around the edges. _Kakashi: Did _he_ know Neji was there listening? Was he speaking to him as much as to me? Because if so- Was he warning _Neji_ as much as he was warning _me_?_

Neji's hands gripping her shoulders and holding her upright brought Tenten out of the swirling black vortex choking off her consciousness. "He didn't know I was there either," he said firmly once her full focus returned to him. A bitter note crept into his tone. "Given his feelings about my father, about _me_, do you think he could have kept from confronting me if he'd known?"

Tenten pressed icy palms to her forehead as he released her and withdrew to his former position. "I - don't know," she admitted shakenly. "Kakashi has always been very - subtle, I guess you could say. I'm just starting to realize _how_ subtle, how many layers there are to the man. Thin as it might seem, he might have been giving you a one-time-only benefit of a doubt and warning us away from each other at the same time. I - just - don't - _know._" Putting her hands flat on the floorboards on either side of her knees, she leaned slightly toward him, her eyes locking on his. "Neji- Lord Neji- Surely you don't think that I-"

Neji cut her off, his expression stern and distant. In that moment he looked very much like his uncle. "Ultimately, does it matter what I - or you, or Hinata - think? In the eyes of _your_ brother and _her_ father and everyone else I am the son of a traitor and a murderer, a potential traitor and murderer myself." He raised his hands to the bandages covering his forehead and began unwinding them. "It is time you saw this, Tenten. If not for this one small act of disobedience on the servants' part, you would have seen it already and known why I am _not_ 'Lord' Neji. . . Why I can never _be_ 'Lord Neji' to you or to anyone else. . ."

The last layer of cloth fell away. Tenten gasped in horror, going dizzy again but this time with denial. She'd seen that symbol before, in far less civilized parts of the world, branded into the foreheads of unfortunates. She'd never expected to see it employed in eminently civilized Konoha, even in the gentler form of a tattoo: the symbol of a caged bird, the symbol used to denote a-

"I am not even the lowest servant of the House." Neji's voice pierced the roaring in her ears. "I am a slave of the House. This was done to me the day after my Aunt Hiromi's death. It is the reason why even though I love-" the flat calm of his tone briefly cracked, "I love you, Tenten, we can never _be_ together in any significant or permanent way. You have taught me to remember who I truly am, and I thank you for that. But after this meeting, after today, I must let you go free of me. You should not - you _must_ not - be bound to one such as I."

Pain, bittersweet and sharp and freezingly hot, pierced Tenten's heart like one of Captain Genma's senbon. Rising to her knees, she lifted trembling hands to brush her fingertips over the ugly tattoo. Sensing more than feeling his quickly suppressed flinch, she gently trailed them down over his temples to the outer corners of his high cheekbones; bent to press her lips to the center of his forehead, directly over the midpoint of the caged bird symbol, in a lingering kiss.

"I love you too," she whispered, drawing back just enough to gaze into his wide, shocked white eyes. "You are now and will always be my dearest Lord Neji. And that's why _I_ will never, _never_ accept this as your ultimate fate or destiny."

Coming up onto his knees as well, Neji gathered her into his arms, the look in his eyes going all soft and wondering. As Tenten yielded herself to the ecstasy of their first kiss, her heart ached nearly to breaking under the weight of her newfound maturity, and all that came with it. _I love you, I love you, I love you,_ every racing beat of her heart carried that burning truth into every part of her body. _I can't help but love you-_

_-No matter the outcome or consequences._

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ ...A lot has gone in since my last update for _Labyrinth_, and I feel the need to explain to you all _why_ it's taken me so long to get this up. First, my father's cancer flared up again and he had to have major surgery (which, thankfully, worked), so during that time I could not concentrate on anything past him. Then my beta started having heart problems (she's been checked out, and thankfully she's okay, too). Plus my grandmother's health - and, I'm sorry to say, sanity - aren't very stable, so... Yeah. This hasn't really left a whole lot of time for my beta and me to sit down and work through our planned rewrites for this chapter - let alone actually _getting_ the rewrites done - so this is why we're only now getting this updated. _Hopefully_ it won't take us nearly so long to update again, but regardless, I appreciate your patience and well wishes _so_ much. You all are some of the most amazing readers on the planet, and I appreciate every single one of you so, so much. Thank you again, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you again next update!


	22. Unveiling

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _Angelic16_, _The Golden Lilys Secret_, _rao hyuga 18_, and _aisha89_ for all your lovely reviews! Also thanks to everyone who has added this story to their favorites and follows lists - I get so excited every time I see a new alert in my e-box!

**Author's Note:** I am _so_ happy I was able to get this update out to you much earlier than the last one! I've _really_ been looking forward to this chapter, which has so many exciting things to share, so I won't delay you any further - please read on, and I hope you enjoy!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter XXII~*<strong>

_~Unveiling~_

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><p>"Itachi! Hey, older brother, we need to be getting over to the main house! Don't you think you're pretty enough by now?"<p>

Itachi took his hands from his laptop's keyboard long enough to slip the small packet with Sasuke's surplus pain pills swiftly from the top of the table into the shallow drawer beneath before his brother came through the doorway from the verandah. There were only three still folded within the parchment. He'd told himself that, ethically, he should have already discarded since Sasuke didn't need them and he had no intention of taking them, despite the persistent dull, nagging headache still plaguing him. Yet he couldn't seem to pitch them.

_Sakura would probably snatch me bald if she knew,_ he thought ruefully, returning his hands and attention to his computer just in time.

"You're _working_?"

The astonishment in his younger brother's tone made Itachi grin up at him. He swept a hand from his head downward in an exaggeratedly graceful gesture. "What?" Itachi mischievously mirrored Sasuke's astonishment right back at him. "You don't think I'm pretty enough the way I already am? -No, seriously, all I have to do is slip on my vest and I'm ready to go." He looked down again at his laptop and unconsciously sighed. "Time is going to be at such a premium this coming week. I really need to get these spreadsheets and reports pulled together before things go completely crazy with the wedding. If I can plug in one more set of figures-"

Sasuke shook his head and scooped up the vest from where it lay across the end of the table. Holding the heavy, glossy silk garment by the shoulders he waggled it at Itachi. "Oh no, you don't," he said firmly. "The 'one more set of numbers' - plus the two or three more _that_ would lead to - can wait. You are _not_ going to be late to your own party on my watch, older brother."

Itachi absently shook his head. "Better late to this party than to my wedding- All right, all right, I'm coming!" He made a warding off gesture with one hand when Sasuke shook the vest even more vigorously. Reluctantly shutting down the laptop, he stood and allowed his brother to help him into the garment, adding with only partially feigned crankiness, "You'd almost think this portrait unveiling was some kind of major social event or something."

Sasuke huffed a breath that might have been a laugh. "From the way Mother has been fluttering from one end of the house to the other all day, you'd almost get that impression." He stepped around from behind Itachi and swept him with a critical glance. "Given what we have to work with, I guess you'll do. . ."

". . .And I suppose you will, too." Itachi nodded to indicate his approval of Sasuke's semi-formal outfit, nearly identical to his own. With the sling and limp already things of the past, and the still-livid scars on his arm and legs covered by his clothing, the younger man exhibited no outward sign of his recent ordeal. "You look rather pretty yourself, younger brother. Lady Hinata should definitely be impressed. So-" He indicated the door. "Shall we go?"

But just before they stepped out onto the verandah Sasuke hesitated and put a hand on Itachi's shoulder to hold him back. When he looked around in surprise, his brother looked at him searchingly, then asked abruptly, "Itachi, are you having nightmares about the dog attack?"

Even as apprehension stabbed icily through his gut Itachi quirked his lips into a crooked, self-deprecating grin. "Maybe a few," he admitted, deliberately withholding the fact they still occurred on a nightly basis, with Temari frequently sharing the role of victim with Sasuke. "Why, what makes you ask? Do I have dark circles under my eyes or something?"

Sasuke's black eyes continued to probe his face. "No, no circles," he said slowly, "but the skin around them looks, I don't know, kinda _tight_."

Itachi nodded sagely. "Ah. _That_ would be the result of eyestrain from slaving over the quarterly reports and spreadsheets all day. _And_ not eating anything at lunchtime probably isn't helping me look my best. Think we could dodge through the kitchen and grab a quick snack? Masayo _oba-chan,_" all the younger generation called the head of the kitchen staff "Auntie," no matter the actual degree of their relationship, "won't be able to resist if both of us come begging."

The seriousness faded from Sasuke's expression, replaced by a sparkling look of mischief. "She never has before," he agreed readily. "Let's go."

A few minutes later, they stood before Masayo in the delicious-smelling, focused tumult of the main house's enormous kitchen. The little white-haired woman, still standing as straight as a soldier despite her age, ran a quick coffee-brown glance over Itachi. "So you had no lunch," she repeated, adding shrewdly, "and knowing you, not much in the way of breakfast beyond a pot of tea. Ye gods and ancestors above, Itachi, if ever a man needed a wife to look after him and keep the breath in his body, it's you."

"You're right about that." The lie rolled easily off Itachi's tongue, but left a bitter taste in his mouth with its passing. "Thank you, Auntie. Where-?"

She pointed to a smallish cooler next to several larger ones occupying one corner of the kitchen. "The odds and ends are stored in there. Help yourselves. But on your way," as they both bowed to her and started to turn away, "mind you keep that young scamp of a brother of yours _out_ of the tomatoes!"

Sasuke laughed and made a great show of holding his hands up as blinders, which made Masayo grin and shake her head. The brothers wound carefully across to the indicated cooler, passing a work table where three kitchen staff members busily assembled platters of appetizers utilizing the forbidden treats. He muttered out of the corner of his mouth, "I bet Hinata will be agreeable to ordering extra tomatoes served at every meal."

Itachi arched an eyebrow at him as he opened the cooler's door to peruse the neatly labeled plastic wrapped packets on its shelves. Snagging one containing several short end pieces of cucumber roll, he said with dry humor, "You think so? I'll have to remember to ask her about that during the course of the evening."

At the same time he squelched and sternly sequestered a sudden sharp jab of envy. Sasuke's courtship seemed to be progressing so much more smoothly than his own. Had it really been all that long ago, he wondered as they left the steamy clatter of the kitchen behind them, when his younger brother had asked so wistfully about whether willing oneself to fall in love were possible? If not into actual love yet, Sasuke evidently had fallen very much in like with Hinata - who while proving to be only a little less shy than promised had at least given every indication she possessed a determination the equal of Sasuke's to make a match between them work.

As they'd been doing increasingly of late Itachi's thoughts turned to Temari, his soon-to-be bride. With their wedding now only a week away, the memory of the way she'd hugged him, brief though it'd been, wafted through his mind for about the ten thousandth time, tempting him towards daydreams. Maybe, just maybe, hope existed for them as well, and their wedding night would truly _be_ a wedding night-

An elbow impacted his ribs sharply, jarring him back to his surroundings. "For heaven's sake, Itachi," Sasuke hissed next to his ear, sounding torn between amusement and exasperation, "eat that last bite and get your mind off those reports! You've got to at least _pretend_ to be mentally present for this social gathering. Otherwise, if Mother doesn't kill you, Temari probably will."

Disconcerted, Itachi blinked at the other man. All of a sudden he felt deeply, devoutly thankful telepathy didn't exist and his brother had no inkling of the true direction his thoughts had been taking. "Uh, yeah, right," he mumbled, quickly obeying Sasuke's admonishment and disposing of the final bit of cucumber roll he held poised in front of his lips. To abet the misconception further, he gave Sasuke a mildly reproachful look and said, "You really should have let me put in that last set of figures, you know."

_"Heaven's sake" indeed,_ he chastised himself inwardly. _I shouldn't be having thoughts like that about Temari - we aren't married yet! Even as a kid I always prided myself on my self-control._ He surreptitiously drew a deep breath._ I really need every shred of it _now!

They passed the door leading from the service area of the great house to the public area. As they approached a side chamber attached to the largest reception hall where the unveiling party would take place, hurrying footsteps and a breathless hail from a side corridor stopped them. A midteens Guardsman trainee, redfaced and panting, beckoned them to wait for him as he closed the intervening distance.

"There you guys are!" he gasped out, leaning over to rest his fists on his knees. "I feel like I've run over half the estate looking for you! Your mother wants you at the front courtyard immediately."

Sensing more than seeing Sasuke's quick frown, Itachi lifted a cool, rebuking eyebrow at the youngster. Cousins they might all be: But while on duty for or within the clan, whose main business after all was law enforcement and security, certain standards of conduct had to obtain - especially for the juniormost members of the staff. Realizing his error, the teenager flushed with embarrassment and snapped into a deep, formal bow. "My apologies, Lord Itachi, Lord Sasuke," he said, his voice tightly controlled, probably to keep from stammering. "Lady Mikoto urgently requests your presence in the front courtyard. Lord Sabaku's party has passed Konoha's main gates and will be arriving here shortly."

"Please return as quickly as possible to Lady Mikoto and assure her we are on our way," Itachi said, not unkindly. "Thank you, Shig." The youngster hastened off on his errand.

Sasuke glanced sideways at Itachi as they swiftly headed for the main entrance. "Temari will be relieved. Do you think a sandstorm delayed them?"

"It's very possible," Itachi replied. "Spring and autumn are the two worst seasons for storms to occur. Hopefully they were able to ride it out in one of the waystations along the road, instead of having to endure it in the wild." He unconsciously rolled his shoulders, his skin briefly itching and crawling at the memory of his one relatively mild encounter with a sandstorm.

They paused at the ornate front doors to exchange their indoors footwear for outdoors. As they exited onto the porch Itachi's eyes sought towards the winding causeway leading up from the village and focused on the small cavalcade wending at a steady canter along it. Squinting against the pain the slanting rays of the early evening sun sent jabbing through his eyes and up into his forehead, he easily picked out the lead rider's vividly spotlighted red hair: Gaara. Kankuro rode about half a length behind him; and even at this distance Itachi could see how he craned his head upwards and from side to side as he took in his surroundings. _I wonder if this experience will end up in one of his puppet shows for Suna's children,_ he thought in affectionate amusement. He shortened his focus to nearer at hand. The sight of Temari, waiting at the bottom of the steps with his mother, quickly caught and held his full attention as he and Sasuke descended toward the two women.

Instead of her usual dark purple, Temari wore a softly clinging gown in a warm brown hue only a few shades darker than honey. Gossamer threads of embroidery glinted like red gold in the sunlight a handspan deep around the neckline as well as the edges of the sleeves and swirling hem, delicately picking out a pattern of twining leaves. The rich but subdued gleam of her amber jewelry subtly enhanced the golden tone of the tanned skin left bare by thin straps spanning her shoulders from front to back. Her arms from shoulder to elbow were uncovered as well, although gauzy fabric formed wide, fluttery sleeves from the elbows down.

Itachi suddenly felt very lightheaded and drymouthed, his palms and fingers aching to know how it would feel to smooth caresses along her satiny skin. Digging deep within himself he scrabbled together every scrap of etiquette and charm he possessed to bridge the moment. Once he'd greeted his mother and kissed her lightly on the cheek, he turned to his betrothed. Greatly daring, he lifted one of her hands to his lips as he bowed over it.

"Konoha fashion becomes you very well, milady," he said admiringly as he straightened and smiled down into her lovely eyes. "You are - exceptionally beautiful."

Temari's cheeks took on a dusky rose color. Her eyes actually sparkled at his compliment, although she passed it off with a nonchalant little laugh. "I went shopping with Hinata. We decided if we're going to be sisters-in-law, we both should really stop wearing the same color so much. She and Tenten insisted I get this. And speaking of Hinata," she leaned a degree closer to Itachi and lowered her voice, sending his blood pressure to dangerous heights as her breath lightly stirred the hair hanging in front of his ear and touched his cheek, "I can't wait to see the look on Sasuke's face when he sees her in the outfit _she_ bought."

Before many more minutes passed the Sunese party clattered into the courtyard. Grooms instantly hurried out to take charge of the horses as their riders dismounted. Household staff appeared to take charge of luggage and guests. Gaara, flanked by Kankuro and Baki, rode nearly up to the foot of the steps before swinging down out of their saddles.

After the initial flurry of formal introductions and greetings, the combined parties started climbing the stairway. Lord Gaara, pausing at the top of the first flight, complimented Lady Mikoto on the courtyard garden's beauty. He then turned back in the direction from which they'd come and swept the village spread out below with his light green gaze. "Your location on this ridge gives you quite a commanding perspective of Konoha, Lord Itachi," he commented in his low, hoarse voice.

"Yes, it does," Itachi agreed. "At the village's founding, this was planned as a highly defensible fall-back position for the general populace in case of an attack, at least until the great outer wall could be completed. Fortunately, even in those wildly unsettled times, it didn't have to fulfill that purpose for more than a few occasions."

"Excellent planning." The Sunese leader's attention lingered for a moment on the Tower rising proudly from the Hyuuga compound on the other side of Konoha, but ultimately turned away without further comment. Not the least perturbed by Gaara's disinclination to engage in polite smalltalk as they crossed to the second flight of stairs, Itachi instead idly listened to Kankuro teasing Temari about her un-Suna-like dress and her biting responses, interspersed with Baki telling Sasuke and Mikoto about the sandstorm that had, indeed, caused the delay in their arrival.

Once inside the entryway the majordomo for the household escorted the three high-ranking guests to their quarters. Mikoto turned to Temari and, smiling warmly, gave her hand a quick squeeze.

"Your brothers do you great credit, my dear," she said. She reached out for one of Itachi's hands and joined it with Temari's. "You two need to go ahead and be ready to take your places in the receiving line. I have some last minute details to see to before our other guests begin arriving. Sasuke, I could use your help, so please come with me."

Itachi half-expected Temari to withdraw her hand from his as soon as possible after his mother bustled away, Sasuke in tow. She seemed content to let it rest passively in his light grip, though, as they strolled along the main corridor toward the reception hall. Neither spoke until they actually stood just inside the spacious room where, at either end, workers from the kitchen were putting the finishing touches on tables laden with food and drink. On the dais in the middle of the wall just opposite, the artist Sai stood adjusting the heavy white cloth embroidered with the Uchiha crest that draped the portrait on its easel. From somewhere overhead, soft trills and runs of notes from _koto, samisen,_ and flute proved the musicians had already taken their places and were engaged in tuning up for the evening.

Without taking her gaze from the artist, Temari leaned toward Itachi again. In a voice barely above a whisper she asked, "Just how worried should I be about people's reaction to our portrait?"

Glancing down he saw a well-defined pucker between her brows. "You mean people in general, or my father in particular?" he responded equally softly. He shrugged and squeezed her hand reassuringly. "The, ah, nontraditional style will probably keep people talking at least until the wedding. And as for Father, I'm sure Mother has already sweet-talked him out of any disapproval he might have had over it being different from every other Uchiha wedding portrait. In fact," he tilted his head and went on in an affected, mock pretentious tone, "I think we're going to start a fashion. The engaged couples of Konoha - not to mention all future generations of Uchiha - will thank us for our bold break with tradition. So," he reverted to his normal manner, "my turn to ask: Just how worried should _I_ be about your brothers' reaction to this unveiling?"

Temari breathed an appreciative chuckle. "Do you mean my brothers in general, or Gaara in particular?" Her quickness on the uptake make him grin as she continued, "Traditional or nontraditional, it won't matter to Kankuro. He'll treat it all as a big joke and will probably wind up sticking at least one foot into his mouth. Gaara, on the other hand-" She hesitated for a long moment before shaking her head ever so slightly. "It's always hard to say with him. But odds are he'll simply be - indifferent," she made a small yet all-encompassing motion with one hand, "to all this."

Sasuke slipped through the door. "Almost showtime, people," he said. "Our parents are on their way down the Little Staircase, and just so you know-" he took several backwards steps and grinned mischievously, "-Naruto is already in the house."

Barely suppressing a sigh, Itachi thought, _Of _course_ he'd be here to cover the unveiling for the _Daily._ But in all fairness he has kept the dog attack to himself and out of the paper, which can't have been easy. I've forgiven Sasuke for his part in the engagement story fiasco. I need to forgive Naruto as well._

Itachi and Naruto were just finalizing arrangements for a brief interview after the portrait had been unveiled when Temari suddenly bumped his elbow with hers. When he looked at her in surprise, she nodded her head once sharply to where Sasuke had been loitering on the side of the door opposite them. He quickly looked that way just in time to see his brother come on the alert like a hawk keying onto a lure as he stepped eagerly forward to greet Hinata before she and the ever-present Tenten could even pass through the doorway.

Although she came nowhere near equaling his sand princess's beauty, Itachi thought the princess of the Leaf looked attractive and surprisingly sophisticated in a deep forest green dress which bared her arms while smoothly hugging her curves, its hem stopping just short of her knees. Her hair, black enough to qualify as an Uchiha's, was massed at the nape of her neck in a weighty knot discreetly threaded with pearls that echoed the color of her eyes. Dainty pearl and diamond drops dangled from her earlobes, matching the delicate pendant resting just beneath the hollow of her throat. From the gleam of appreciative possessiveness in Sasuke's black eyes as he bowed low over the heiress's hand before tucking it into the crook of his arm, he evidently more than agreed with that assessment.

"Told you," Temari commented smugly in Itachi's ear. At the same time Naruto, grinning hugely, gestured to his undersized photographer to get a picture of the other couple.

"Guess I know what my next big story will be after you two tie the knot," he said gleefully. He sketched a bow and took off to interview an unsuspecting Sai.

Fugaku and Mikoto entered just after Hinata and Tenten. Fugaku must have heard the reporter; he certainly looked sour enough to have done so. Fortunately Mikoto more than made up for the curtness of his greeting by pulling Hinata in for a quick, light hug as though she were already a member of the family. As they stood chatting for a moment Itachi noticed his father covertly shoot several searching, speculative glances at Tenten, who quietly stood a short distance away. For this occasion, he noticed the bodyguard also wore her hair in a single large bun at the back of her head, apparently secured there by two long gold-colored pins. _Senbon, I wonder?_ the thought trailed across the back of his mind. _Even though she isn't wearing her katana, I bet she's still armed to the teeth. Father is probably thinking the same thing; that must be why he keeps looking at her like that. _

A low buzz of voices filtered down the hallway, signaling the arrival of more guests. Sasuke escorted Hinata deeper into the reception hall. For the next hour Itachi stood with his parents and fiancée, smiling and bowing until it felt like his facial muscles, not to mention those in the small of his back, were on the verge of cramping. And the whole time, carefully hidden behind his polite facade, his nerves wound more and more tightly as the time for the portrait to be unveiled approached. Granted his mother had given her approval to the project. But still: Everyone would be expecting to see one thing - how would they react to the unprecendented reality?

Well, he'd find out before much longer. A subtle glance to one side showed the line of arriving guests was quickly dwindling. It was nearly time for the portrait - for good or ill - to be revealed.

Once the final guest had been greeted, Sasuke, Hinata, and Tenten, as well as Temari's brothers, made their way through the crowd to join them on their way to the dais. Over the course of the evening, he'd seen so many faces - old and young, familiar and unfamiliar - and they all looked expectantly at him now. He felt the weight of every single one of those gazes upon him, despite knowing others shared the burden along with him. In that moment, everything seemed to come together in his mind - all his hopes and fears, his excitement and his terror - and combine with the pounding in his head, a drumbeat to match the one set by his heart.

_Calm_, Itachi cautioned himself. _Stay calm. Don't let anyone see how uncertain you really feel._ He cut his gaze sideways briefly, to Temari's carefully smiling expression. Despite her bland mask, he could sense her underlying tension as well. A sudden, totally irrational feeling swept over him; that somehow the portrait's unveiling - how the image painted on that canvas was received - would act the part of an omen and forecast the tone for his marriage.

_If the painting bombs... If it is received with ridicule... _He couldn't bear to finish the thought. That wouldn't - couldn't - happen. The room rippled around him in a sickening haze. He willed it to steady again.

He took hold of Temari's icy hand as the family mounted the few steps to the dais, where Sai waited for them next to the draped portrait, concentrating on not squeezing it as tightly as he wanted to do while Fugaku spoke briefly. Then his father stepped back and he knew it was his turn to speak. He drew a breath, forcing himself to find and access that familiar still center deep in his core.

"Thank you, everyone, for coming tonight," Itachi said, his fingers still twined around his fiancée's. "Temari and I both appreciate your support for our families, our growing alliance with Suna, and our relationship. We count every single one of you as friends, and are thankful for your presence in our lives." He looked a subtle question down at Temari, who smiled and nodded.

"Although I was born and raised in Suna," she said, her turqoise eyes turning from her brothers to sweep over the numerous guests, "Konoha has definitely become a home to me. The people here are so kind, accepting me with such warmth and friendliness. I admit to being a little nervous about moving here, about uprooting my familiar life with my brothers and joining the Uchiha clan. But you've all been so welcoming, and made the transition so easy for me. Thank you all." Glancing up at Itachi, she nodded to indicate she'd finished.

Hands still clasped they turned slightly to look over at the covered painting. "Now then," Itachi said, "I'm sure you're all just as anxious as we are to see the painting that Sai created for us," he said. "Sai, if you please?"

The artist inclined his head with one of his stiff smiles. Grasping the drapery, he expertly flicked his wrists, pulling the covering away with a flourish. Itachi resisted an urge to close his eyes as gasps immediately rippled through the room and just as quickly swelled into whispering murmurs. He made himself look at the painting - and exhaled a sharp breath of his own.

It was almost like an out-of-body experience, as though he stood looking through a window in time back to when he and Temari were posing for this very portrait. The foliage depicted at the edges of the canvas was softly blurred, directing the beholder's eye inward to the images in the very center as the garden came into clearer focus around them: Temari sitting on Itachi's lap within the circle of his arm, her bare feet dangling off the ground. The deep gold of her hair found an echo in the roses blooming on either side of them. The painted couple wore small smiles, their foreheads touching, eyes turned ever-so-slightly to look at each other instead of toward the artist; their entire attention so wrapped up in each other they were oblivious to everything else around them, even the beautiful backdrop of the garden. Overall, the portrait projected an aura of casual intimacy unlike anything Itachi had ever seen before. He sneaked a quick sideways peek at Temari and found her looking as pleasantly stunned as he felt.

As his family and guests broke into spontaneous applause Itachi and Temari bowed deeply to Sai, thanking him for honoring them with his incredible talent. Naruto, his photographer tagging along a couple of steps behind, moved in at the same time as their families. After an ensuing period of mild chaos with photos being taken and questions asked, just when he thought the two of them might be able to draw a free breath, a hand clapped his shoulder from behind. A familiar voice exclaimed, "Itachi, you sure are one lucky guy!"

Grinning broadly, Itachi turned. "Shisui!" Extending his forearm to the dark-haired, dark-eyed man, he drew him in for a brief embrace. "This is great, you made it back to Konoha for the wedding! Temari," he drew his betrothed forward, "may I present to you my first cousin and best friend Uchiha Shisui? -My _real_ first cousin," he added with a chuckle when Temari flicked him a skeptical glance. "Our mothers are sisters."

"My Lady Temari." Shisui bowed low. "It is an honor and a pleasure to meet you." He straightened and gave Temari a winsome smile. "Are you finding our convoluted Uchiha relationships overwhelming?"

"Perhaps a bit," Temari responded with a polite smile. "It will be interesting to be part of such a large clan. You have been away from Konoha, I take it?"

"Yes, milady. For the past year I've been overseeing internal security for a large company based in the Three Rivers country. Fortunately I was able to arrange some time off to come home for the wedding."

Temari divided a mildly inquiring glance between Itachi and Shisui. "In addition to providing most of the police force for Konoha, along with other security services within the village," Itachi explained, "the clan also has a consulting division that takes on contracts outside Konoha. Shisui works as one such consultant."

As they stood conversing further, Kankuro bounced up to them, for all the world like a big, brown, overgrown puppy. "Only one week left! You guys nervous yet?" he said with a broad grin, his eyes wide and sparkling with excitement.

Temari gave him a withering look. "Kankuro! Where are you manners?" she scolded as Gaara, Sasuke, Hinata and Tenten halted a polite distance away. "Didn't you notice we were talking with Itachi's cousin, whom he hasn't seen for a year?"

Kankuro blinked but seemed otherwise unfazed by his sister's rebuke. "Oh, sorry," he said breezily. "You want we should come back later?" He hooked a thumb over his shoulder at his brother, and Itachi's.

Shisui laughed. "No need to go on my account, Kankuro is it? I'm Uchiha Shisui, by the way."

During the ensuing flurry of introductions, Itachi noticed Gaara hanging slightly back: No big surprise considering his discomfort around people, especially strangers. But as the circle of conversation broadened to include the newcomers he also began to notice how the redhead's light green eyes seemed to stray frequently to Hinata - and linger, even if only for mere seconds at a time. He tried at first to dismiss it as a passing fascination with someone who must appear somewhat exotic to Suna-born Gaara; tried also to dismiss his growing sense of unease. But Sasuke evidently was aware of those repeated glances, too. It wasn't long before he casually maneuvered himself between the two, blocking Gaara's view of Hinata while at the same time emitting a distinctly proprietary vibe.

"Itachi, I'm at my parents' house, of course. Maybe we can get together before the wedding and catch up some more," Shisui eventually said as he prepared to take his leave. "Lady Temari, it has been a pleasure." He bowed himself off.

Before much longer Sasuke very neatly detached Hinata from the group, his black gaze touching briefly across his brother's. Its very blandness spoke volumes to Itachi. Tenten paused long enough to murmur a compliment to him and Temari about the portrait. Her brown eyes met his as she turned away, a faint shadow of worry in their depths heightening his concern. He pushed back a desire to rub a hand over his face and grimace. It would be inexpressibly beyond awkward if he had to warn one brother away from the other's intended.

"I didn't expect to make Lady Hinata's acquaintance until tomorrow, during my meeting with Lord Hiashi," Gaara commented in his raspy voice.

"She was kinda pretty," Kankuro chimed in unexpectedly, "but awfully quiet. Hey, Itachi." His focus suddenly became fixed past Itachi's left shoulder. "There's a guy in a mask standing in the corner over there. Who is he?"

Thankful for the diversion, Itachi responded without looking around, "That would be Uchiha Tobi, a very, _very_ distant cousin. His branch of the family left Konoha generations ago, but he generally shows up for major family functions."

Her fingers clenching tightly on his in sudden tension, "Kankuro, _please _don't-" Temari began to say at the same instant her brother asked, "So why's he wearing a mask?"

"He was disfigured in some horrific childhood accident," Itachi replied, adding firmly, "I don't know the details of what happened. He doesn't like to talk about it, for obvious reasons."

Gaara's eyes flickered from side to side. "My apologies, Itachi, big sister," he said. "We've kept you too long from your other guests." He inclined his upper body slightly before herding Kankuro away.

Temari made a three-quarters turn toward him. "Itachi," she whispered hastily, "I am so sorry-"

Itachi brought their hands up so he could brush her knuckles with his lips. "It's all right," he said in a reassuring undertone, "I'm not offended in the least. While in Suna I learned it's easier to bridle the wind than to deter Kankuro." She smiled at the Sunese proverb and he very lightly squeezed her fingers. "Now that our sibs are, as Sasuke would say, out of the way, what do you say we enjoy our party?"

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><p><em>This,<em> Naruto thought glumly as stared blankly down on the notepad in front of him, _is a _lot_ tougher than I expected it to be. I feel like I'm gonna _bust. _I'm sitting on a _huge_ story - seriously huge, the future leader of Konoha could've been killed! - and I've got to keep it a secret._

Leaning back in the kitchen chair, he drove both hands into his already messy hair for a vigorous scalp rub and bit off a yelp when the pencil he still held nearly drew blood. He tossed it down with a scowl; picked it up and bent over the table again. _I undertand _why_ it's important, but still-_ He gave a dramatic sigh even though there was no one around to hear it. _I gotta at least get the rough draft of this article done before I go to bed._

Half an hour later he tossed his pencil aside a second time when he realized he'd written all of three sentences, while completely filling the margins of the page with doodles. Shoving away from the table in disgust, he went to stare into the refrigerator for several moments before deciding nothing appealed; wandered out of the kitchen into the family room, dark except for the wide rectangle of light spilling through the doorway between. He made no effort to resist when his feet carried him to a window well outside the fall of light. As sightlessly as at his notebook, he stared at the dark mass of the cliff towering over Konoha, his thoughts and emotions in a turmoil of self-doubt. He _knew_ - well, he was pretty sure he knew - he was doing the right thing. So why, then, did he feel so lousy about it? Placing one arm along the windowframe, he rested his forehead against it.

_"What the-! Cursed mark . . . filthy . . . Jashin . . . in my house . . .! Monster!"_

The nearly incoherent roar of rage from the kitchen brought Naruto running for the connecting doorway, his heart pounding twin drumbeats in his throat and his head. He stumbled to halt at the sight of his grandfather brandishing his abandoned notebook in the air, white hair bristling stiffly around his purple face, teeth bared in a ferocious snarl. The old man's eyes, distended with fury, fastened on Naruto's face. In the next instant he was looming over Naruto, still clutching the notebook like a club.

"_Foul-! Filthy-! Monstrous-!_ _Where did you come across this sign?_" Jiraiya's breath blasted hotly on Naruto's skin as his rumbling bass voice all but deafened him.

"Grandpa! Gramps! Calm down!" Scared his grandfather was having some sort of attack, Naruto tentatively reached for him as he heard his grandmother upstairs calling out in alarm as her feet thudded onto the floor. "Why're you waving my notebook around like that? Maybe you should just give it back to me and I'll put it away, okay?"

"Jiraiya! Naruto! What's going on down here?" Tsunade came running down the stairs, hanging on to the balustrade with one hand.

Naruto turned panicked eyes toward her. "I don't know, Grandma! I was looking out the front window trying to get my thoughts straight when all of a sudden Grandpa-" He broke off as Tsunade stepped up to her husband and took hold of his arm.

"Jiraiya! Honey, what's wro-" She went as white as he was red and emitted a keening sound. _"No! No!"_ She would have collapsed to the floor had Jiraiya not dropped the notebook to catch her. She huddled against his chest, now weeping uncontrollably.

"I can't believe _you_," he ground out between clenched teeth, "our own grandson, would flaunt such an _obscenity-_"

"Obscenity?" Naruto's voice cracked as he looked from one grandparent to the other, then down to his notebook. Bewilderment sloshed from one side of his brain to the other. "It's three sentences and a lot of doodling. . ." His voice trailed away. He took a deep breath, his reporter's mind starting to work its way through his shock and distress. "Grandpa, _what_ exactly on that page made you and Grandma react the way you did?"

The older man seemed to deflate slightly. "Nothing. It was nothing," he mumbled dully. "Must not've been fully awake. Just forget about it, Naruto. Sorry-" Soothing his sobbing wife, he gently turned her toward the staircase and guided her upstairs.

Still feeling shaken to his core, Naruto bent and retrieved his fallen notebook. Carrying it back to the kitchen table he smoothed out the top several pages, which were crumpled and torn. His eyes probed for any hint of what might have prompted Jiraiya's over-the-top rage and Tsunade's rending grief. He looked over the opening sentences he'd written for his article about the unveiling, lips moving silently as he read them over: No, nothing there. As for the doodles themselves, they were just random geometric shapes: cubes and cylinders, stars and spirals, and stars inside of circles and spirals-

His breath left him in one great whoosh.

-And, repeated over and over among the other shapes, a triangle enclosed in a circle.

Naruto sat down weakly, a multitude of thoughts colliding inside his mind. _It can't just be a coincidence, this symbol showing up where those dogs were tortured crazy and Grandpa and Grandma reacting the way they did. They've both seen it before. And it means something terrible to them. Something terrible-_

_-That's somehow connected to my parents' death._

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ Apologies for any errors you might have found above. My beta and I have both read this over several times, but she's medicated and I'm sleep deprived, so we might have missed something. But I'm_ so_ excited to be able to post this chapter at long last, since it has one of my _favorite_ scenes in the whole story - the unveiling! I've been so excited for this, I don't even have words to describe it. Thank you again for your patience and encouragement for me and this story, and for reading - I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I also hope to see you for the next one!


	23. The Wedding

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _rao hyuga 18_, _aisha89_, and _Animefangirl95_ for all your reviews! Also thanks to everyone who has added, and continue to add, _Labyrinth_ to their favorites and follows lists!

**Author's Note:** My beta and I thought this chapter was going to kill us. Literally. So much research went into this thing so we could make the wedding and reception scenes as true to real life as we could, that's been one of the major roadblocks keeping us from updating semi-quickly. But this is one of our favorite chapters, so we really hope it was worth the wait and you enjoy it, too! Thanks for reading!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter XXIII~*<strong>

_~The Wedding~_

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><p>Hinata nodded approvingly as her maid ran a final, appraising look over Tenten before she stepped away from Tenten for the final time. "Thank you, Shizuka, you've d-done your usual wonderful job with b-both of us," she said. "Would you please send a message t-to the stables saying we're ready for the litter to be brought around?"<p>

"Of course, milady," the maid murmured, bowing.

"Yes, thank you, Shizuka," Tenten echoed from where she stood staring at herself in the dressing room's full-length mirror. As soon as the outer door had closed behind the maid, she said dismally, "Could you remind me one more time _why_ I let you talk me into this?"

Hinata shook her head at her friend in gentle reproof. "Because we are g-going to Itachi and Temari's wedding, and you d-deserve to look like the lovely young woman you are. Really, Tenten, did your brother never t-tell you how pretty you are?"

Tenten half-lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "Well, yeah, actually he's mentioned it a few times. But, you know: he's my big brother, so I didn't take it literally. I just thought he was either being nice, or trying to build up my self-esteem, or something like that."

"You should have believed him. It's too b-bad Kakashi won't get to see you b-before we leave. I'm sure he would totally agree with m-me." Hinata smiled, smugly if secretly certain her bodyguard was going to attract all manner of second looks during the reception after the wedding. The white-flowered, deep rose pink of the _homongi_ she'd coaxed Tenten into wearing flattered her tanned complexion and made her hair look to be a richer shade of brown. Unlike the loose pants and tops she normally wore, it also subtly enhanced her feminine curves, giving her a willowy appearance. Plus, thanks to the makeup Shizuka had so skillfully applied (also at Hinata's insistence and over Tenten's protests), her eyes appeared larger and softer, her face somehow slimmer.

Tenten's lips quirked ruefully. "He'd be more apt to ask what in the world I was thinking to let you doll me up like this when I'm escorting you off the estate. I'm on _duty_, for goodness's sake!"

And that had been another source of contention, the only point Tenten had won: Whether or not she would go armed. She'd agreed she couldn't very well wear her katana to the wedding and subsequent reception. But her _senbon_ hairpins anchored her heavy coils of hair, instead of the pink jade-headed ornamental combs Shizuka and Hinata had picked out; and the skirts and full sleeves of her _h omongi_ concealed her knife and shuriken holsters.

As the two women left her suite and proceeded along the hallways to the front of the house, there to take their places in the horse litter, Hinata forced herself to suppress the urge to heave a sigh. At least the whole process of getting Tenten properly attired for the wedding had provided a welcome distraction from the dreary inner uncertainties and turmoil plaguing her. Like one of the edged weapons she was learning to use, her long-desired freedom from the confines of her home had turned in her hand and cut her, heart and soul. The tears she could not shed burned behind her eyes and at the back of her throat. But however much she might yearn for it, slinking back into her isolation was not an option.

Especially not since Lord Gaara's arrival from Suna had turned her into some kind of tug toy between him and Sasuke.

No mention of a marriage between them had been made yet by either her father or the Sunese lord. But quite aside from the way Gaara's gaze had followed her at the unveiling party, Hinata had seen the look of chilly calculation that flitted through her father's ice white eyes - during the meeting of the leaders the day after the unveiling and the formal dinner held in Gaara's honor two days later, as well as when he volunteered his daughter to show the youngest Sabaku around the estate's gardens the day after that. And that subtle confirmation of Hiashi's intent, along with the suspicion Gaara would be amenable to an arranged marriage, shook her to the depths of her being while testing the limits of her resolve.

In accordance with tradition the wedding itself would be attended only by the bride and groom's immediate families, along with a select few others. The reception afterward, however, promised to be an entirely different story. Not only were the highest ranking clans of Konoha invited to it; the vast majority of the extended Uchiha clan would be there, too. Though officially to be held in the main courtyard and terrace in front of the house, Sasuke had predicted it would spill out into the streets beyond the estate's walls. For the sake of convenience as well as caution, they took a circuitous route around the central market district, heading for a small side entrance near the Uchiha clan shrine.

Sasuke, looking very much the young lord in his formal kimono and with his raven's wing hair tamed into a traditional topknot, waited there. His solemn expression lightened as he came forward to assist them from the litter and compliment them on their appearances. But his mood remained subdued as he guided them up through the landscaped grounds to the Uchiha clan's shrine. Considering the nature of the day and the gravity of her own feelings, that was fine with Hinata.

When they reached the small building standing within a ring of cherry trees Sasuke saw them both onto kneeling cushions, Tenten taking one behind her mistress. He then excused himself with a murmured word to go aside from them. Lighting an incense stick, he pressed his palms together, and briefly bowed his head in prayer. Hinata closed her eyes and added her own petition for the bridal couple's happiness - as well as begging for courage and wisdom on her own behalf.

Shortly after Sasuke returned to take the cushion to her left, the middle Sabuku sibling, accompanied by a man unknown to her, entered the shrine. They settled across the aisle, dipping their heads in greeting but not speaking. A few minutes later Itachi and Sasuke's cousin along with a middle-aged man, equally dark haired and dark eyed, escorted two women, one older, one about the other man's age, to a place on Sasuke's left, then knelt behind them. The silence and air of tense expectation built into a nearly palpable pressure in the ears, until it was broken by the mellow note of a softly struck gong. A priest stepped from screened alcove at the back of the sanctuary. Hinata felt her breath catch in her chest.

It was time.

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><p><em>It's time<em>.

Tightening his abdominal muscles against the excitement (apprehension?) fluttering deep in the pit of his stomach, Itachi followed the priest, his parents, and the man who had negotiated the marriage agreement, Yamato Tenzou, into the shrine. On one distant level he registered the presence of those already present inside: Kankuro and Baki; his maternal grandmother, aunt and uncle and cousin; Sasuke next to Hinata, with another young woman behind them it took him a moment to recognize as Tenten. But the main focus of his attention - indeed, of his whole being - centered on the entrance of the shrine, where Temari should be appearing at any moment.

_Temari. _

_My bride. _

_What will she look like?_

_Is she feeling anything like this?_

The mallet stroked the unseen gong again, sending another shimmering, summoning note out into the air. Itachi nearly shivered as it resonated through him, intensifying his emotions. His breathing tried to quicken to keep pace with his speeding heartbeat; he consciously made a effort to keep it deep and even.

The light falling through the shrine's doorway dimmed. Between one heartbeat and the next she was there, next to Gaara, her slender form backlit by the early evening sunshine.

At first Itachi saw Temari through a white haze, as though his eyes weren't focusing properly. Panic delivered a mule kick to his heart: _I can't be going blind already! It's too soon!_ She drew a few steps closer, allowing him to perceive the hazy effect came from her being swathed in the outer robe, headscarf and veil unique to Suna fashion, these all made of some semi-transparent, whisper-light, floaty material. Her wedding gown itself consisted of a straight, tight sleeved white sheath, much in style like the one she'd worn when she first arrived in Konoha. This one, however, glimmered through the folds of her draperies with the subtle shimmer of silk.

She and Gaara halted facing him and his parents in front of the priest. Through the sheer fabric he saw that her golden brown hair fell unconfined to and just past her shoulders. Lifting her hands she put back the filmy scarf and veil covering her face and hair. It was the first time he'd ever seen her hair loose and his fingers tingled with a sudden, lower-brain function urge to twine themselves into those shining tresses. It took him a few seconds to master it; when he did, it registered with him how serious and emotionally remote Temari looked. Meeting her cool blue-green eyes he recognized with a sharp pang of sadness it was the princess of the Sand who stood in front of him; not the woman who lived behind that facade.

Together they turned to bow before the priest, who held a porcelain bowl of salt for the ritual purification that would begin their marriage ceremony. After the requisite prayers and the repetition of their vows, Itachi - who loathed _saké_ - barely noticed the burn of the liquor sliding past his tongue and down his throat as he took the traditional three sips in succession from each of three cups, followed in turn by Temari, his father and mother, then Gaara and Yamato, that would make the joining of the two clans binding.

_I know this isn't what you wanted, Temari,_ went through his mind. _But I love you: I genuinely, truly, deeply love you. And I promise to spend the rest of my life proving it to you, and trying to win your love in return._

After the ceremony, once those assembled had had a chance to congratulate the bridal couple, the entire party slowly made their way to a side entrance of the main house. There they split up: Mikoto whisking Temari away to help her change into her reception kimono; Fugaku shepherding everyone else but Itachi toward the front courtyards, where the post-wedding celebrations would take place.

"I bet this is the part of the day you'd like to skip, older brother," Sasuke muttered _sotto voce_ into Itachi's ear as the party sorted itself out. Before Itachi could do more than catch his breath and blink at the unexpected crudeness of the remark, his younger brother went on blithely, "It's not like you didn't see most of these people just a week ago and accept their felicitations and all. It just seems kind of redundant, y'know?"

Feeling acutely ashamed of himself for jumping to such an erroneous assumption, Itachi chuckled weakly. "Just be taking notes, younger brother," he murmured back. "It'll be your turn soon enough."

At the last moment Shisui lingered to keep Itachi company as he awaited the return of his mother and his bride. "Doesn't seem quite fair, does it?" his cousin remarked casually. "The bride getting to change and the groom being stuck in all that." He made a gesture that took in Itachi's formal kimono.

Itachi lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "Comparatively speaking, Temari probably would've been better off wearing her wedding gown for the reception. I accidentally overheard Mother talking to her about the _iro-uchikake_ she'll be wearing. Evidently it's going to be pretty heavy."

Shisui grimaced. "Maybe you should've gone three-for-three and started a new tradition for _after_ the wedding." He went on to elaborate when Itachi gave him a questioning look, "You know, to go along with the whole untraditional portrait thing. And then Lady Temari not looking like a ghost in white facepaint like our mothers wore."

Itachi's lips kinked slightly. "We pretty much had to go with the old way on this one. Since she wore her own mother's Sunese wedding dress for the ceremony rather than the Uchiha regalia, Temari felt it only fair that she wear the same outfit Mother wore at her and Father's reception."

"Well, at least it's autumn, so maybe she'll be less likely to pass out from the heat and humidity. Though," Shisui's brow suddenly creased, "maybe that's _not_ a good thing after all. Isn't it supposed to be good luck if the bride faints?"

"It's definitely considered bad luck if she doesn't," Itachi said lightly. "Good thing I'm not superstitious. I can't think of anyone less likely to faint under any circumstances than my bride."

"Speaking of brides," Shisui clapped Itachi on the shoulder, "I think I hear Lady Temari and Aunt Mikoto coming now." He drew his cousin in for a brief embrace. "I probably won't be able to get close to you at the reception, so congratulations, and best wishes for a long, happy marriage - with kids. Lots of kids." With a warm smile full of affection, he moved away.

Itachi smiled in return, his attention already turning toward the interior of the house, where the murmuring of women's voices - mostly his mother's, to be completely honest - preceded them along the corridor. After overhearing their conversation he'd made a point to look at his parents' wedding album and an image of Mikoto's _iro-uchikake_ now flashed into his mind. Knowing as he did Temari's preference for dark, muted colors, he wondered how comfortable she would be wearing such an extravagant garment. Besides the white-collared _juban_, the ensemble boasted two under kimono: a white one lavishly embroidered with tiny red and gold fans, then a gold kimono patterned with white cranes and red blossoms; a very wide, intricately gold-embroidered _obi_ over them; and on top of everything the vibrantly red, brilliantly embroidered, elaborately over-the-top outer robe with its trailing length and sleeves, and thickly padded hem.

But when she came into his view, far from seeming overwhelmed, his bride moved toward him with regal grace and confidence, as though such magnificent apparel was no more or less than her daily due. She looked so radiantly beautiful, in fact, that Itachi totally forgot to breathe.

Mikoto, her expression beyond smug, broke the moment by taking their hands and joining them together. While his mother's were warm, Temari's felt ice cold in his light grip. "Now, just as we rehearsed yesterday, my dear ones," she said. "I'll slip around to the front of the house while you make your grand entrance onto the terrace." She covered their joined hands with both her own and pressed them tightly before gliding swifty away-

-Leaving them, for the first time as husband and wife, alone.

The scent of jasmine seemed to fill the suddenly tense air around them. Itachi's mouth went dust-dry and a quick wash of heat flooded through him. But even as an impulse flashed along his nerves to draw Temari close enough to lean in and lightly sample the sweetness of her lips, the memory of the first (and only) time he'd kissed her filled his mind. Remembering the dismal aftermath on that occasion allowed the cooler side of his nature to prevail. Sensing an underlying wariness in her demeanor, as though she expected him to do something of the sort, he cast about for something to say to ease the tension; perhaps something mildly witty as well as reassuring.

What came out of his mouth instead was, "That all has to weigh every bit of twenty-five pounds. And your hand is cold as ice. You aren't going to faint, are you?"

Temari blinked at him a couple of times, a faint pucker forming between her brows. "Ah, no," she said. "I've never fainted in my life. I don't think I will now. Shouldn't we-?" Seeming somewhat bemused she let her voice trail off on an upward note as she tipped her head slightly and raised her brows.

"We should," Itachi agreed, quickly offering her his arm while smothering the urge to plant his face into the palm of one hand. _Yeah, especially before being alone with you makes me say or do something else stupid!_

The evening progressed, passing in a hazy, time-dilated blur. As they ate, danced, or circulated among their guests, Itachi remained hyperaware of the woman who was now, in name at least, his wife. It was as if she were a magnet and he the iron caught within the sphere of her attraction. Despite his vigilance his thoughts kept threatening to slip his control into areas he knew he could not allow them to stray.

At last the time came for Itachi and Temari to light the special candle on the table where Fugaku, Mikoto, and Gaara sat. After that, as he savored the smooth feel of her hand in his, they proceeded to light more candles at other tables placed around the garden courtyard where their other close friends, family, and high-ranking guests were seated, ending the ceremony by lighting the heart-shaped cluster of tapers making up the Memorial Candle. After that the bride's female relatives and friends - in this case his mother, Aunt Mariko, Hinata and Tenten - giggling and chattering like a flock of songbirds, carried her off to change out of her _iro-uchikake_ and into a _furisode_, the last time she'd ever wear that style of kimono, for their trip to their honeymoon destination. At least with Fugaku as a member the group of male relatives and friends waiting with Itachi, fortunately there were none of the ribald comments or suggestions that might otherwise have been tendered to a groom on his wedding night.

And then finally, _finally_, they were in the horse-drawn litter that would take them to the inn at Konoha's hot springs, where they would spend the next several days.

And nights.

It didn't take long for Itachi to feel the tension thickening the air inside the litter. He waited to see if Temari would initiate a conversation; sensitive to her mood, he remained silent when she didn't, not wanting a reprise of his earlier verbal blundering. After about half an hour the driver pulled up in front of the elegantly classic facade of the inn. The proprietor and his son - both wearing bright green kimono with equally bright orange belts - met them at the front door, along with several servants to handle the luggage.

Offering profusely exuberant well wishes full of references to springtime and abounding youthfulness every step of the way, the two escorted them along lowlit flagged pathways to a gated enclosure containing the secluded guesthouse where they'd be spending their honeymoon. The landscaped grounds were softly lit by both hanging lanterns and others standing on pedestals placed strategically among the plantings and around the private hot spring. As the pair bowed them inside and quickly guided them on a tour of the cottage's amenities, Itachi glanced sideways and caught his bride swiftly concealing a slightly befuddled reaction. He smiled to himself. Perhaps he should have been kind and warned her about Maito Gai and Rock Lee; but watching her bite back any number of acerbic observations, he didn't regret in the least shamelessly using the eccentric pair as icebreakers.

"Are those two for real?" Temari demanded as soon as the duo took their leave. "Don't they know it's _autumn_, not _spring?_"

Itachi placed a hand over his heart and gave her what he hoped was a soulful look. "Ah, but where love is involved, it's always springtime, and the heart is always young," he declaimed. He held the pose for a moment as she stared at him incredulously, then dropped his hand and grinned at her. "Or at least it is in Gai and Lee's version of reality. They do get a little - manic - on the subject. But they really are dedicated to the comfort of their guests. It's not just the hot springs that make this inn so popular. Of all the hostelries in Konoha, they run the premier establishment."

"'Manic,'" Temari said decisively, "is too mild - and too polite - a term."

An awkward silence fell between them. Itachi's body was sending him insistent signals; but fortunately he retained enough clarity of mind to know acting on them at this moment would not be the smartest thing he ever did. Very carefully, verbally feeling his way, he said in a neutral tone, "The springs here are truly phenomenal. I'm in the habit of taking a good, long soak in the bath house at home before retiring for the night. And you-?" He allowed the question to dangle.

Temari's cheeks reddened slightly. Instead of accepting his tacitly extended invitation to join him, she said a little too quickly, "No, I don't have the patience for long soaks. I prefer to unwind from the day over a pot of tea." She tipped her head toward the partially screened corner where a low table held an electric kettle and all the other necessities to make tea, then to the door to the bathing room, which had its own egress to the spring. "So if you want to go ahead-?"

Without allowing any of his disappointment to show, Itachi smiled gently at her. "Save me a cup?" he said softly and persuasively as he moved toward the lavatory.

She nodded stiffly. "Of course."

After he'd exited the bathing facility and eased his way into the dimly lit, faintly steaming water, Itachi mentally cursed Fugaku again, just in case he'd missed anything the other nine hundred ninety-nine times he'd done so, for pitchforking the two of them into this situation.

_I suppose we should have talked about - this - at some point,_ he thought. He blew out a heavy sigh, rippling the curls of vapor hazing the air in front of his face. _After all, we're both adults. But at the same time- _ He grimaced. _It would have been beyond awkward. And somehow not - appropriate. I mean, how would _either_ of us have broached such a topic? "Oh, by the way, along with all the other arrangements for the wedding, we need to decide where and when to consummate our marriage." _Slowly he swept an arm along under the surface of the water, his dark eyes tracking but not really seeing the eddies created by the movement. _So should I just _tell_ her straight out that making her truly my wife isn't a matter of duty for me anymore? Tell her I love her? Or just let my touch prove to her that, ancestors as my witness, I _do _love her, so much-_

Closing his eyes Itachi tried, and failed, to imagine such a scene. Suddenly the heat of the pool was too much for him. Surging to his feet he grabbed his towel and lapped it loosely around his middle. Lurking out here wasn't solving any problems. The subject was appropriate now, so he might as well go in and confront it.

Once he'd dried off and wrapped himself in one of the inn's yukata, he reentered the living area of the guesthouse - only to find it empty. Despite his effort at self-control, his pulse quickened its tempo. His gaze went straight to the door to the bedroom. Did Temari even now await him there? _We're both adults,_ he thought again. _And we both know this has to happen._ With swift, light steps he crossed to the door and slid it open.

Soft light and sweet fragrance met him: The former from dozens of candles positioned around the room, the latter from hundreds of red and white rose petals scattered on the floor, as well as across the low, neatly turned-down - and unoccupied - bed. Itachi's eyes sought further, to where his bride stood on the other side of the room, looking out a window into the enclosed garden. She wore a silken robe the same exact color as her eyes, the candlelight gently shimmering over it and caressing her hair, still loose, with deep golden highlights. His heart tried to climb into his throat, she was so beautiful. Feeling half-mesmerized he took a couple of steps into the room, irresistably drawn to her-

-And rocked to a halt as, with those two steps, his entire perspective changed. The shimmering of the light on her garment from the myriad candles did not entirely come from their flickering, as it had first appeared to him. Left arm clamped across her bosom and her right hand clutching closed the neck of her robe, Temari was shivering; and from what he could see of her profile, even mostly turned away from him as it was, he perceived it wasn't from excitement, or anticipation.

Her shivering came from fear.

Itachi's heart plunged from his throat to his ankles, taking all his hopes for this night with it. He drew an unsteady breath. "Temari-" he said very quietly, at a loss for the right words to speak to soothe her.

Her shoulders jerked, her head dipping slightly as she threw up a warding hand. "I know!" she said, her voice thin and unsteady at first but then growing stronger. "You want to tell me you won't hurt me- No more than necessary-" She half-turned toward him, and he saw how pale she was despite the golden light touching her tanned skin; how white were the knuckles clenched on the fabric at her throat. "Lady Mikoto assured me you would be very gentle with me, and - and self-controlled, and take care to cause me the absolute minimum of pain. She knew my own mother has been dead for years, and she didn't want me to be afraid, or - or unprepared for what you'd be doing." From where he stood rooted to the floor three quarters of the way across the room from her, he saw her swallow convulsively. She stared at him, her body rigid, her pupils dilated with terror. "I _know_ what's supposed to happen. I _know_ what's expected of us, of _me_- But I can't. I just _can't._ I'm not ready for, for," her voice dropped to an aspirated whisper, "_intimacy_."

If Temari's hovering on the thin edge of hysteria wasn't enough to kill the mood for Itachi, discovering his mother had had The Talk with his bride would most certainly have done so. He gazed her, feeling torn between pity on her behalf and wishing, a little savagely, that his mother could've just left things to him. However well-intentioned Mikoto's meddling, far from reassuring Temari, only seemed to have amplified her apprehensions. As he wondered how on earth to convince her he had no plans to ravish her, his eyes wandered away from her, his gaze coming to rest on the petal-strewn bed. An idea took shape in his mind. Acting upon it he swiftly crossed to stand next to it.

At his sudden movement, Temari uttered a stifled gasp and shrank closer to the wall. "Wh-what are you doing?" she demanded.

Itachi scooped up one of the pillows and shook it free of rose petals. "The only thing I can think of that might give you some peace of mind," he said simply. Turning away he went to the closet; opening it, he found several sets of spare bedclothes stacked upon a shelf. He appropriated a couple of sheets before fixing her with an earnest look. "You don't need to be afraid of me, Temari. I swear to you, I will never do anything to hurt you. I will not try to coerce you into consummating our marriage, and I promise on my honor I will not lay an amorous hand on you until you _are_ ready. And to prove how sincere I am, I'm going to sleep out in the living area."

She wordlessly stared at him for a long moment, while some of the tension visibly eased from her stance. Seeming unaware of what she did, she nibbled at her lower lip before saying hesitantly, "But - there's no futon, or even the makings of a halfway decent pallet. You'll be sleeping straight on the tatami." Her eyes skittered away from him, around the room, before coming back to rest on him. "I suppose," she seemed to be forcing the words past an obstruction in her throat, "since you've promised - you're at least entitled to your side of the bed-"

"No." The word burst from Itachi a little more forcefully than he intended, making her startle again. "No," he said again more gently, "I thank you for the thought, but that would not be a - good - idea." He felt his lips quirk when she gave him a quizzical look and added, "I am, after all, a man."

"Oh!" Her gaze drifted from his face to the pillow and sheets he held clasped to his chest; down further to about the region of his diaphragm before she abruptly jerked it back up to his face, her own reddening. "Itachi-" she drew a shuddering breath, let it out on a long sigh. "_Thank_ you."

He nodded. "Good night, Temari," he said then, there really being nothing else left to say, or do other than arrange his meager bedding and stretch out on the living room tatami as far from the bedroom as possible.

Feeling physically and emotionally exhausted, Itachi lay for a long time watching the play of candlelight on the other side of the rice paper-paneled wall between the two rooms; evidently Temari didn't feel secure enough to blow out the candles. Or maybe she was just too worn out as well to bother.

_This is so wrong,_ he couldn't help but think. This should've been one of the, if not _the_, most special nights of his life. At this very moment, he should be _with_ Temari, exploring and delighting in the mysteries of her body even as she explored and delighted in the mysteries of his. Instead, he had to face the bleak truth of what he'd bound himself to: that this was only the first of many nights of bitter loneliness and unfulfilled longing.

The candles were guttering by the time Itachi's burning eyes finally sagged shut in sleep.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ Even though my beta and I thought this chapter was going to _kill_ us, what with all the research into Japanese weddings so we could make it as true to life as possible, we are both _very_ excited about this chapter. We _really_ hope you all enjoy it, and that it was worth the wait! Thank you _so_ much for reading, and we look forward to hearing your thoughts!


	24. Restless

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _rao hyuga 18_ and _dianalovely1995_ for your reviews! I'm really glad you're enjoying the story. And also thanks to those who have added _Labyrinth_ to their follows and favorites - I get so encouraged every time I see a new alert in my in-box!

**Author's Note:** Ah, so many exciting things happening! In this chapter, you really get to dive into some of the more personal, emotional conflicts of the story, as well as finally find out why Jiraiya and Tsunade reacted the way they did to Naruto's doodles a few chapters ago! Thank you so much for reading, and your patience with my sporadic updates, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter XXIV~*<strong>

_~Restless~_

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><p>When Hinata entered one of her home's smaller formal receiving rooms, Lord Gaara bowed and said, "Thank you for seeing me, Lady Hinata." As Tenten quietly slid the shouji closed behind her, his eyes flicked in that direction. His oddly hairless brows drew together slightly. "Forgive me if I speak out of turn - but your bodyguard accompanies you even inside your own home?"<p>

"Tenten is c-companion and chaperone as much as b-bodyguard," Hinata said serenely. "My father very m-much favors the old ways of d-doing things." She indicated the cushions placed on the tatami to either side of a low table. "Shall we sit and have t-tea?"

Gaara shook his red head at her offer. "Thank you, milady, but I cannot linger. I wanted to take my leave of you since duty calls me back to Suna today. I am sure you understand."

She nodded an acknowledgement. "It is fortunate you were able to c-come to Konoha for the wedding. I hope you have a s-safe trip home, Lord Gaara."

"Thank you." He paused and cleared his throat. His shadow-ringed green eyes caught and held hers, causing her heart to beat slightly faster; but whether in anticipation or dread she was unable to discern. "If I were free to pursue my own desires," he went on in his low, raspy voice, "I would choose to stay in Konoha longer to further our acquaintance. I apologize if this seems abrupt, but Lord Hiashi has broached to me the subject of arranging a marriage between us. You - are aware of this?"

Hinata's heart stuttered in her chest, although years of strict training enabled her to keep her from displaying any outward reaction. Dipping her head gracefully and glancing downward, she murmured in a voice barely above a whisper, "Y-yes."

If Gaara harbored any curiosity as to why the lord of Konoha wanted to marry his heir to the lord of Suna, he at least gave no sign of it. Instead he continued in that same soft voice, "Please excuse me for inquiring, but the two times I saw you in company with Lord Sasuke, he seemed quite - possessive - of you. Your father assured me you have not formed a prior attachment to him, but I wanted to ask you directly. Do you and he have an agreement?"

Hinata's pride prickled at the thought of her father giving such assurances on her behalf. This, _this,_ was the moment when she should gently but firmly inform Lord Gaara that Hiashi was very much in error; that she and Sasuke had every intention of wedding each other. Instead she found her tongue trying to glue itself to the roof of her mouth. Somehow she managed to force out, "S-Sasuke and I are c-currently exploring the p-possibility of an alliance b-between our two clans. N-nothing is definite."

Sasuke would have given her that blinding smile and maybe even brushed a kiss across her knuckles at her reply. Gaara stepped up to the very edge of her personal space and took both of her hands in his, a smoldering warmth kindling in his eyes. His voice sounded even hoarser than usual as he said, "Much as I regret the necessity of a courtship conducted at a distance, may I ask you to give equal consideration to _my_ suit?" His thumbs brushed in a featherlight touch across the backs of her hands. "For I must confess the thought of having you as my wife pleases me very much. Do I have your permission to correspond with you, Hinata?"

Feeling her cheeks heat with a blush and despising herself as the coward she'd discovered herself to be, she said faintly, "Y-yes."

With the unexpectedly sweet, shy smile that totally transformed his face and inspired a strange tenderness in Hinata, Gaara briefly tightened his hold on her hands. "Thank you, milady. And the next time we meet face to face, I sincerely hope you will truly _be_ my lady."

"Perhaps, milord," she whispered in reply. "We shall s-see."

When she rejoined Tenten after Lord Gaara said his farewell and departed, Hinata felt oddly diffident in her bodyguard's company. She and Gaara both possessed naturally soft voices; how much, if any, of their conversation had the older woman heard? Fearing to see disappointment, or worse yet scorn, in her friend's brown eyes, she maintained a steadfast silence all the way back to her suite. Once there she immediately took up her samisen and, as so many times before in her life when she had no other outlet for the emotions threatening to overwhelm her, sought to lose herself in the solace of music. Her fingers restlessly wielded the ivory _bachi_ over the triple strings as she played a bit of this song and a snatch of that, unable to settle on any one melody, until a maid came to announce that Lord Sasuke waited for her in the courtyard in front of the house.

Hinata instantly laid her instrument aside with a clatter. "Yumiko! You l-left him st-standing _outside_ the house?" she demanded, horrified at the discourtesy. She swiftly got to her feet, Tenten instantly mirroring her movement.

"At his own request, milady," the maid hastily repeated with another bow. "You will understand why when you join him." She stepped to one side to allow Hinata to hurry past her.

Biting her lips, Hinata hurried along the silent hallways, scarcely aware of Tenten following a couple of steps behind her. Even given the active dislike between their fathers, she felt deeply distressed that Sasuke evidently did not consider himself welcome enough to cross the threshold of the Hyuuga manor house. Or, the thought struck her, even worse, had he been _denied_ entry? Intent on righting the wrong, she exited at speed onto the verandah, not thinking to change from her house shoes. Her gaze flew ahead to where he stood very much at his ease holding the reins of his horse, Taka-

-As well as the reins of a somewhat smaller horse of so light a grey as to be nearly white in color, especially when viewed next to Sasuke's big black.

Her mind spinning from the surprise of finding the situation to be so different from her expectations, Hinata slid to an unsteady halt just short of the edge of the top step, wobbling as one ankle threatened to turn under her. Dropping both sets of reins, Sasuke sprang up the steps towards her as Tenten's strong hands caught hold of her shoulders from behind. Blushing deeply she started to stammer an apology for her clumsiness, while trying to get a mental grip.

However Sasuke, in what had seemingly become his custom, drew one of her hands into the crook of his arm as he shook his head at her. "It was my fault for surprising you like this," he said while gently urging her down the steps. "But now the wedding's over and life will hopefully be getting back to normal, I just couldn't wait for you to meet Hato. Isn't she a beauty? She's got absolutely fantastic bloodlines. And I promise you'll find her to be every bit as gentle as the bird she's named for, while still having a lot of heart and speed. Of course," a hint of anxiety entered his voice, "if you decide she doesn't suit you, Shikamaru said we can take her back to the Nara and find a mount who does."

They came to a halt in front of the animals. Hinata, feeling more than a little breathless and dizzy from being swept along on the wind of Sasuke's enthusiasm, blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. "L-Lord Sasuke, you've b-bought me a _horse_?" At that moment the silvery grey mare turned her head to regard her from one great dark eye: disdainfully, she thought. She dropped her gaze to the ground, feeling like her face was on the verge of catching on fire as guilt compounded her embarrassment. Without consciously willing it, her left hand withdrew itself from his arm so her fingertips could tap together at a desperate pace.

Sasuke's hands, warm and so much larger than her own, closed gently over hers, stilling them. "Hinata," he said soothingly, "it's okay. I'm not trying to pressure you into anything. I just want you to have a horse that's _worthy_ of you. The gelding you rode to the picnic was adequate, but, um - pedestrian. Nothing at all like what a lovely, elegant, highborn lady such as yourself should be riding." A teasing note entered his voice. "I'm not expecting you to fall into my arms and thank me with kisses. Although I wouldn't mind if you did."

Hinata knew with absolute certainty every red corpuscle in her body now resided in her face. She cast about desperately for something to say, mortifyingly tongue-tied. _What an ungrateful boor he must think I am!_ she thought.

Sasuke's hands tightened slightly on hers. "I'm sorry, Hinata," he said. "I didn't mean to upset you like this. I had thought we might go for a ride, but perhaps we should save that for another day."

The young man's quiet good manners steadied Hinata, allowing her to draw, if somewhat belatedly, on her own training and upbringing. "Actually I th-think a ride would be a g-good idea," she said, thinking that even though horseback riding did _not_ count as one of her favorite pastimes, it was the least she could do to make up for her earlier ungraciousness. "Hato is the m-most beautiful horse I've ever seen - no offense, Taka - and a g-gift as extravagant as it is thoughtful. But before you officially g-give her to me or I officially accept her, I n-need to talk to you." Her eyes shifted of their own accord to the Tower looming over them from across the expansive courtyard; more specifically, to the windows of her father's office, where a figure in a dark grey over-robe stood watching them. She suppressed an urge to shiver. "But n-not here. If you don't m-mind waiting while I change-?"

Sasuke's face lit with the smile that made her feel as though a second sun shone on her. "Of course I don't mind waiting," he said warmly. "It'll allow time for a horse to be saddled for Tenten, as well."

No more than fifteen minutes later, they rode past the Tower and out the compound's main gate. Hinata refused to look up to see if her father still watched, instead listening to Sasuke tell her of a small park nearby with enough open space to allow for a pleasant ride. By the time they got there, Hinata found herself marveling at how amazingly more comfortable she felt than the last time she'd sat a horse.

"I almost feel as th-though I'm floating," she said, wistfully wishing there were no other purpose to their outing than this. Although the day was quite warm, the humidity was not high, the start of Konoha's dry season being close at hand. It would be pleasant to amble along companionably, doing nothing more than enjoying the day and Sasuke's company. But after far too short a time, when Sasuke suggested they dismount and leave the horses with Tenten while they took a stroll around the perimeter of the large lily pond at the park's center, she knew she had to speak before she lost her resolve entirely. Unconsciously she drew in a deep breath and released it as a sigh.

Instantly Sasuke flexed his arm just enough to draw her hand closer to his side. "What's troubling you so deeply, Hinata?" he asked. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm afraid we _have_ to t-talk about it," she replied. She let her steps slow to a halt next to a weeping willow tree, its yellowing leaves gently dropping down a few at a time amongst the lily pads and blooms. Unable to look at him, she took in another breath, this one shakier than the last as her stomach roiled nervously. She said in a rush, "L-Lord Gaara came by to s-see me on his way out of Konoha."

The muscles of his arm tensed under her fingers; but he managed to keep his voice calm, though she sensed the effort it cost him. "I see." He inhaled audibly. "And it wasn't just for a polite leave-taking, was it? Even after seeing us together and knowing you are the future leader of Konoha, did he have the nerve to ask to court you?"

"He d-did," Hinata said, dreading what she had to say next. "W-with my f-father's bl-blessing."

_That_ brought Sasuke whipping around to face her, shocking radiating from him in tangible waves. "With-! But that's impossible! That would take you, his heir, away from Konoha!" Anger began to work its way into his tone. "Gaara must've deliberately given you a false impression, trying to give himself an advantage-"

"N-no." Hinata all but whispered the denial, the old familiar shame crushing down on her. Her head drooped under his incredulous stare. "F-Father proposed the m-match to Lord Gaara. He thinks me t-too weak to f-follow him as the next l-leader of Konoha. As well as clearing the way for m-my sister to b-become the heiress he desires, such a m-marriage would g-give the Hyuuga a tie with the Sabaku to offset the Uchiha's." She refrained from adding that she suspected Hiashi of having already formulated a plan to send her to Suna as Gaara's wife long before Itachi and Temari's betrothal.

The breeze strengthened momentarily, swirling willow leaves through the air around them. As it died away, Sasuke said very softly, "That might be true. But could _you_ be happy with such an arrangement, Hinata?"

His question verged on dangerous ground. An image of Sasuke clawed, bitten, and bleeding in her defense flashed through her mind. Hinata used it to fortify her shaky resolve, even though it weakened the hold she'd been keeping on her emotions. Without meeting his eyes, she whispered, "I could be - content - if it k-kept Konoha s-safe. And you."

There was a pause. "Is _that_ why you would allow Gaara court you?" Sasuke demanded then in a tone of disbelief. "The dog attack? You would actually sacrifice your birthright and future because you think it was aimed at _me?_"

Anger as unexpected as it was hot flared through Hinata. "Y-yes! And b-because it proved how _useless_ I am!" Without even realizing she'd done so, she raised one hand and thumped him on the chest with her fist. "I had shuriken in m-my p-pouch that d-day, b-but I d-didn't even th-think to use them. All I c-could d-do was freeze as that b-beast mauled you - and scream. Uselessly. And f-faint - _uselessly_." She drew her fist back again, tears from her overflowing eyes slipping down her cheeks and dripping off her chin.

Sasuke caught her wrist in a gentle hold before the blow could fall. "Far from uselessly," he said, his voice earnest. "Shuriken wounds are too shallow to be fatal unless they happen to hit a major vein or artery; and your scream saved my life by distracting that wild dog's attention at just the right moment." His other hand came up to cradle her jaw, his thumb nudging her chin upward until she met his eyes. "Hinata, please believe me: You _are_ brave. You're also kind, and gentle, and beautiful, and you will be a fantastic leader for Konoha." He leaned toward her, his head tipping slightly to one side as he added huskily, "And I am falling in love with you."

_Is he going to _kiss_ me?_ Just as the panicky thought took shape in Hinata's mind, her eyelids slid closed without her telling them to do so. An instant later his lips, incredibly soft and warm and smooth, ghosted across hers in a touch as soft as a whisper and light as a breath. A quivering feeling began somewhere deep inside her, causing her to tighten her core muscles in an effort to control it. At the same moment, an unwelcome realization went through her like a whirlwind:

_I'm falling in love with him, too._

_And I mustn't._

As she desperately tried to curb her tumultuous feelings and force herself back into her defensive detachment, she felt his hands swipe tenderly across her cheeks, drying them. Just as they'd closed without her permission, her eyes now reopened as Sasuke drew back again, his dark gaze catching and holding hers.

"I'm not stepping aside quietly," he told her, an intense promise gleaming in his midnight eyes. "You are worth fighting for, Hyuuga Hinata, and I intend to fight to win you for myself. You _belong_ in Konoha - with me."

Fortunately Sasuke didn't appear to expect any matching declaration from her - which was a good thing considering she was totally tongue-tied again. He nestled her hand in his arm once more as they resumed their interrupted stroll.

"No matter what, Hato is yours, Hinata," Sasuke told her just before bidding her and Tenten farewell at the compound's massive gates. "I really believe she was foaled to be your horse." Reaching to take one of her hands in his, he bowed low to her from his saddle. "I look forward to the next time I see you, my lady."

The pain in her heart nearly overwhelmed her, but pure force of will and knowing herself to be under the witness of the guards enabled Hinata to hold it at bay while she bade him a soft, noncommittal farewell. But the memories of his lips brushing hers, of the feel of his hands smoothing gently across her face burned along her nerve endings with a fire she despaired of quenching.

Openly admiring grooms came up to lead Hato, as well as Tenten's mount, away. Hinata scarcely noticed. She concentrated on keeping her feet moving, carrying her closer and closer to the haven of her suite. On reaching its sanctuary, she headed mechanically for her bedroom, intending to curl up on her bed. But her legs gave way halfway across the sitting room. She collapsed clumsily onto a cushion next to the low table. Propping one elbow on its gleaming surface, she let her head droop onto her hand, feeling as though the shades of Sasuke and Gaara hovered one behind each shoulder, accusing stares boring into the back of her head.

_Why?_ she thought, the beginnings of a sob swelling up from her tight chest. _Why did this have to happen, when I'd made my mind up to what I had to do._ It had all seemed so clear when she'd still been cocooned in her state of emotional detachment. But her defenses, the numbness she'd used as a shield, were irrevocably shattered. She would never be able to use it to insulate herself from her guilt, and shame, and pain again.

"Milady? Lady Hinata?" Tenten's hushed, worried voice interrupted her preoccupation. "Did I do wrongly by allowing Lord Sasuke to take you off with him? Should I have - intervened?"

Hinata's watery gaze fixed hazily on her bodyguard's troubled face. "N-no," she said on a long sigh. _I just had my first kiss. And it was from Sasuke. My heart should be flying higher than the clouds right now. But instead_- Without realizing it, she pressed one hand over her aching heart. "It's all s-such a m-mess." She made a weak attempt at humor. "D-do you think I have any potential as a b-bodyguard for hire, Tenten? B-because if I do, maybe I should j-just grab you and Neji and the three of us c-could run away from Konoha."

Tenten's forehead puckered and she looked uncertain of how to respond. "As far as sheer talent, the potential is there, but it's not an - easy - lifestyle," she finally said. "And besides," a look of wistful sadness flitted through her brown eyes, "we'd never get Neji past the compound gates."

Toying with the idea, pretending if even for a moment that she could ever do such a thing, Hinata responded, "Oh, we wouldn't go anywhere near the gates to escape the compound." And when her friend looked quizzical, "We'd go the same way I got out the day we met in the village. We'd use the secret tunnel under the cliff."

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><p><em>Kurenai is out of the office for the rest of the day, and Konohamaru is in school. This is the best chance I've had so far, so I'd better take it.<em>

Taking a deep but surreptitious breath Naruto picked up his notebook and stood. He crossed the small space to his boss's desk, turned one of the chairs in front of it around backward, and straddled it. Pretending to a casualness and confidence he was far from feeling, he said, "Asuma, you got a couple of minutes? I need to talk to you."

"Huh? Oh, sure, Naruto." The editor of the _Daily_ turned away from his workstation in sections, beginning with his torso and ending with his head. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I'm hoping you can help me figure something out." Opening his notebook, he made a show of riffling through its pages. "I was trying to get some thoughts straight for a piece a few nights ago-" _no need to say how many!_ - "mostly just doodling, though. Could you look it over and maybe give me a few pointers?" He slid it across the top of the desk.

Looking slightly puzzled at the condition of the top page, Asuma absently smoothed it with one large hand. A pucker formed between his eyebrows as he scanned it. "Wait a minute, I recognize this. This is the lead to the story you wrote about the Uchiha portrait unveiling. So why are you showing it to me n-"

The tendons on the back of Asuma's flattened hand sprang out sharp and defined, his fingers going mottled red and white. He suddenly shot up out of his chair, sending it crashing into the wall behind him, the muscles of his forearm bunching as he pushed down hard on the notebook, almost as though trying to smash it down into the wood. His lips drew back from his teeth in a harsh grimace. Wordlessly glaring at the younger man, he shoved it violently back at Naruto, who barely managed to catch it.

"Yeah," Naruto said, working hard to appear unperturbed even though his hands trembled, "that was pretty much the reaction I expected."

It took a couple of attempts before Asuma rasped out, "I don't know what you think you're about, Naruto, but whatever it is, I'm telling you _now_ to drop it."

Naruto stiffened his spine even though the part of him accustomed to taking orders from his boss wanted to duck its head and scuttle away. "Not gonna happen, Asuma. _Something_ on that page made my grandpa go ballistic when he saw it, and my grandma bawl. With the way you reacted right now, it's got to be something to do with my parents' murder. So give already. _What is it_?"

The big man's fists clenched on top of the desk. "I said _drop it_, kid," he growled. "Trust me: You don't want to know."

Naruto's temper flared. His muscles tautened, ready to launch him to his feet so he could slap the notebook back onto the desktop in front of the editor, a yelled demand already building in his throat. His blazing blue eyes locked onto Asuma's challengingly - only to read a deep and abiding grief in those brown orbs instead of the anger he expected. All the heat abruptly went out of his urge to fight as his shoulders sagged.

"Yeah, if I were still a kid, you'd probably be right about that," he said in a low voice. "But I'm not a kid anymore. I'm sorry to dredge all this up for you, Asuma, but I _need_ to know more about my parents' deaths. I can't ask Grandma or Grandpa, not after seeing how whatever it is that's on that page affected them. And no way I'd ever even _think_ about asking Kurenai, especially not with the baby coming. So that just leaves you, boss." He quietly laid his open notebook on the desk again. "Please, tell me: What on that page set you all off? And why?"

Asuma stared broodingly back at him for so long a time, Naruto began to fear his appeal had had no effect whatsoever. But then, with a heavy sigh, the older man groped behind him for his chair; pulled it into place and sank into it. "What I wouldn't give for a cigarette," he muttered, rubbing one hand over his face. "Gods, Naruto - when did you get to be so grown up? So, okay. As for what's on the page," he extended one thick finger to hover in the air over the triangle and circle combination, "it's _that_ symbol that triggers such bad memories. As for why," he took a ring of keys from one of his pockets; sorted through them before selecting one of them. Bending sideways he inserted it into the lock of a lower drawer of his desk. When he straightened again, he held a thin manila folder. More than a minute ticked by as a range of emotions played across his craggy face. Then, with a heavy sigh, he placed it on top of the notebook and sat back again.

"That's a copy of the official police file on your parents' deaths," he said. "The ancestors know there's precious little in it. _Don't_ let your grandparents know I gave it to you, okay? And believe me on this," his voice went even bleaker, "you'll want to be alone when you read it." He jerked his head toward the door. "Go ahead, take it, and get on out of here. I'll see you tomorrow." He turned decisively back to his laptop.

Standing, Naruto reached to pick up the notebook and file, his gaze on his mentor's profile. Surely it was just a trick of the light - but were those tears he saw in the older man's eyes? Regretting the pain he'd caused, he murmured very low, "Thanks, Asuma," before turning and leaving the office.

Once out on the street, he paused. The slim folder felt as heavy as a brick and as hot as a live coal in his hand. Keeping in mind Asuma's final admonition, his first impulse was to scurry home; but he quickly rejected it. His grandpa was almost certain to be home, and the old man was as persistent and nosy as he was pervy. He'd want to know all the details of exactly _why_ his grandson had come home in the middle of the day. So where, then?

The answer came to him a heartbeat later: Akimichi's. He'd probably need to share at least some of the file's contents with the others of the Council of Youngers. He might as well go to their unofficial headquarters to read it.

_". . .Believe me . . . you'll want to be alone. . ."_ Asuma's voice whispered again at the back of his mind.

-So he'd ask Chouji for a private booth. At least he was one hundred percent sure of getting it.

Nearly half an hour later, having reached the restaurant and placed his order, Naruto laid the folder on the table in front of him. He stared down at it, feelings of unease and dread now dominating the sense of determination he'd had earlier. A powerful wish for continued ignorance suddenly washed through him. Rejecting it as cowardly, he slowly inhaled a long breath; reached out with shaking hands; opened it. A series of photographs were on the left, printed pages to the right. His eyes scanned across them. He gasped, his gorge thrusting its way up into his throat. Somehow he managed to slap the folder shut with one hand as he clapped the other one across his mouth.

He was still sitting there like that, trembling violently, when Chouji brought his food to him.

"Naruto!" The blond reporter barely noticed when the stocky youth, letting the curtain fall behind him, set his tray down with a rattling of china and bent over him. "Naruto, what's wrong?"

_Gods, gods, I should've listened to Asuma! How am I ever gonna get these images out of my head?_ Looking up into Chouji's shocked round eyes, Naruto gulped convulsively once, then again. "Here," he whispered hoarsely through his fingers and fiercely shoved the folder against his friend's chest. "Get this to Shikamaru and Shino and the others. They need to know. That symbol - the one from the cave -" He shuddered. "Chouji, it was _cut_ into my parents' bodies! While they were still-"

His fragile self-control breaking, Naruto put his face down into his muffling arms on the tabletop and wept.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ So many exciting things happening! Poor Hinata - I feel like such a jerk putting her through all this... And Naruto! I'm _so_ happy I finally got to reveal why Jiraiya and Tsunade freaked out the way they did at Naruto's doodles a few chapters ago. Poor guy, though... Thank you so much for reading, your patience with my sporadic updates, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and to see you again for the next update!


	25. Shock

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _rao hyuga 18_, _Guest_, _DSaph_, _kiti4life_, _k_, and _Ami1010_ for your reviews! Also thanks to everyone who has added this story to their favorites and follows lists!

**Author's Note:** And after seven months, another chapter! I'm so, _so_ sorry the waits for these chapters is so long. But this story has required so many rewrites, and my co-author (I adore working with her!) and I want to give you the best story we possibly can. We're going for quality instead of quantity, and though we hate making you all wait, we don't want to rush things. So I really hope this chapter was worth the wait, and thanks for reading!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter XXIV~*<strong>

_~Shock~_

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><p>At the end of their first sparring session after the wedding, Itachi suddenly found himself staring at the callused sole of his younger brother's foot, poised a hairsbreadth from the tip of his nose. After a couple of seconds' worth of absolute shock, he carefully reached up to take hold of the appendage and fastidiously move it somewhat to one side.<p>

"At least I have the courtesy always to aim for your temple," he commented mildly. "But seriously, Sasuke, you have to plant your foot in my _nose_?"

The look of fierce, focused concentration faded from Sasuke's face, to be replaced by one of mingled disbelief and wonder. Relaxing out of his arrested attack, he asked hesitantly, "Did I - just _get_ you, older brother?"

Itachi smiled warmly. "You did indeed, younger brother." Grasping his sibling's forearm, he pulled him in for a quick, hard embrace. "Congratulations. You've been working very hard to improve your technique, and it shows."

Sasuke's expression glowed at the praise, even as he lifted one shoulder in a deprecating shrug. "Maybe married life is just making you soft," he countered teasingly.

_Not married life, of which there isn't any; it's my illness that's slowing me down._ Itachi kept that grim realization between his ears and off his face, though. Aloud he said lightly, "If that's the case, then you and Lady Hinata need to hurry up and get married so the playing field will be level again."

A dark look flickered through Sasuke's eyes, abruptly dimming the shine in them. Apprehension seized Itachi by the throat, making him ask more sharply than he intended, "Sasuke? What's wrong? I thought the whole reason the two of you entered into this was with marriage being the predetermined outcome?"

Sasuke paused for a long moment, visibly torn between conflicting urges. Then, heaving a deep sigh, he folded down onto the tatami and gestured for Itachi to do the same. "I didn't want to bother you with this while you were, you know, getting used to being married," he said in a low voice. "But since you've asked: Did you know that Gaara," he invested the name with an alarming harshness, "is courting Hinata? _With_ her father's blessing?"

The breath whooshed from Itachi's lungs as though he'd taken a hard punch to the solar plexus. "I noticed how - interested - Gaara seemed to be in Hinata the couple of times I saw them around each other," he admitted slowly. "But this news about Lord Hiashi is totally unexpected. There are laws, though, protecting her as the Heiress of the Hyuuga. She cannot be forced by her father to abdicate her position and marry outside Konoha. Surely she knows that. Her father might do his best to make her home life a living hell; but miserable as that would be for her, gentle soul that she is, legally he can't do anything else." He cleared his throat before asking delicately, "What does Hinata have to say about the situation?"

Sasuke's lips twisted in a grimace of pain that went straight to Itachi's heart. "That if marrying Gaara would keep Konoha, _and_ me, safe, she could be - content." Seemingly without being aware he did so, he rubbed the sleeve of his _gi_ that covered his left forearm.

After a moment's hesitation, Itachi said quietly, "The dog attack. She thinks you were the intended target. Even though it might have been her."

His brother's black eyes met his, blazing with barely-controlled emotions. "Yes, that gods-blasted dog attack." He lightly pounded a fist on the tatami next to his knee. "I love her, big brother. And she loves _me_. I could see it in her eyes after I kissed her. I can't," his voice cracked slightly, "_can't_ let her give up her life here in Konoha because she believes my courting her puts me in danger. I told her she belongs here, with me. But even if she's right and the attack _was _meant for me, how do I convince her, Itachi, she's worth any amount of danger, worth any risk, as long as we're together?"

_My wife won't sleep with me. And you're asking _me_ for advice?_ That was another thought Itachi kept unspoken. Ducking his head briefly to make sure no trace of the bitter truth escaped through his eyes, he finally said carefully, "I wish I could tell you an absolute, foolproof way, Sasuke. But I don't know that there is one. All I can say is, don't be afraid to let her know the depth of your feelings for her." He paused for a moment's further thought, then added, "And it couldn't hurt to point out that it's been almost a month now, with no other attempts on your life."

"There is that." Sasuke loosely clasped his hands together in his lap and studied them intently. "Do you think," he finally said slowly, "that it _could_ have been just a crazy, random attack? From what Shikamaru and Shino have been able to dig up, the cult of Jashin was officially stamped out a long time ago. But maybe there's a stray devotee or two still wandering around, committing acts of violence like the dog attack, and killing Naruto's parents, to satisfy his twisted belief system."

Itachi heard in his brother's voice a longing for that to be true, so Hinata's fears could be put to rest. He wished for that, too. But, much as it hurt, he had to speak the truth as he felt it in his gut. He said reluctantly, "As I understood their report, the cult was all about causing as many deaths as possible to satisfy the bloodlust of the demon they worshipped. With that being the case, surely the dogs would have been released on the household staff either as they set up or broke down the pavilion for the picnic, instead of on a couple obviously under the watchful eye of a bodyguard. I don't understand how the two Jashin-related incidents are connected, but I feel it in my bones that, somehow, they are. And that those dogs were meant to injure or kill either you or Hinata." He briefly rested a gentle hand on Sasuke's knee. "I'm sorry, younger brother. I know it would be easier to be able to tell her it was just a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But in good conscience..." He let his voice trail off.

Sasuke sat very still for a long several minutes before his shoulders rose and fell in a heavy sigh. "I know, older brother," he said. "That's my gut feeling, too." He looked up with a crooked grin. "Sorry to unload on you, 'Tachi."

With a small, nostalgic smile, Itachi lifted his right hand, leaned slightly forward, and very lightly poked the grinning Sasuke, who sat perfectly still, in the forehead with his index and middle fingertips. "That's what older brothers are for," he said.

Sasuke's grin turned a little wistful. "I'm glad we got to spar today," he said. "I know we may not get to as often as we did before you got married, but I've missed our sessions."

"So have I," Itachi agreed; truthfully, yet at the same time wondering how long he'd be able to keep up these morning meetings, even if less frequently than before. Not only did he feel as tired as though he'd gone through more than the one albeit extended round; but although the brothers practiced light contact sparring, with the emphasis on precision and control, he was acutely aware of the unaccustomed hot soreness of bruises stiffening under the concealing fabric of his _gi_. "I wish we had time for a rematch so I can get you back," Sasuke puffed a mock-scornful laugh, prompting Itachi to try, and fail, to look stern, "but I've got meetings the rest of the day. How about you? Will you see Hinata at some point?"

"Not today. Instead," Itachi saw the effort the younger man put into an obvious attempt to sound nonchalant, "I've got to get started studying."

His brows shot up. "Studying? May I ask what?"

Sasuke's excitement broke through his shining black eyes and washed over his face. "Just the course material for cadets at the Uchiha Police Academy."

"_What-?_ How-?" Itachi's voice broke in astonishment. _Has Father relented about training Sasuke to be the future chief of the police force?_ He couldn't bring himself to utter the thought outloud, even though he felt the surmise hanging in the air between them.

"Nobuo-sensei," came the equally unexpected reply. The look in Sasuke's eyes went distant, as if he were reliving it. "After I scored a hit on him in two consecutive matches - this was while you were still on your honeymoon - he showed up at my door with the materials and gave them to me. He didn't say anything; just handed everything over, kinda tilted his head at me, and left. He also gave me a link where I can submit my exams to him directly for grading."

Leaning forward, Itachi hooked one hand behind his brother's neck and gave him a quick, congratulatory shake. "I am so proud of you, Sasuke! Didn't I tell you you'd earn his respect?"

Only later, as he bathed and changed clothes in preparation for the rest of his day, did it occur to Itachi to wonder if Mikoto might be complicit in getting Sasuke the training he deserved. As he assumed more duties within the clan, it hadn't taken Itachi long to realize his mother wielded a good deal of influence beyond her own domestic obligations over what went on inside it. If she disagreed with her husband's assessment of their younger son's ability to assume his own destined role within the Uchiha, he could readily believe her capable of taking steps to rectify the situation.

As he tucked his laptop under his arm prior to leaving the empty suite, he chuckled softly under his breath. Today was the day Temari was to receive her own duties within the household. Perhaps, he thought whimsically, along with the more mundane matters like the differences between running the Uchiha household as opposed to the Sabaku, his mother would be instructing his bride in the subtleties of managing their Uchiha menfolk.

He had no doubt Mikoto would find in Temari a very apt pupil.

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><p>When Itachi returned to their rooms early in the evening, he found Temari sitting slumped in one of the two low chairs in the corner of the living area, looking utterly worn out. Even her spiky ponytails looked, he thought, frazzled. Setting his laptop on the low table he used as a desk, he quickly crossed to stand in front of her and bend over her slightly.<p>

"Temari?" he queried quietly, lightly touching one of her lax hands where it rested on the arm of the chair.

Her eyelids slowly lifted, and he nearly quailed at the baleful expression in her turquoise eyes. As she glared at him, her taut lips relaxed enough for her to say, with great precision, "Your mother is about as subtle as a sledgehammer."

He blinked down at her, bewildered by her pronouncement. "My - what? Didn't you and Mother spend the day going over household procedures and such, divvying up areas of responsibility?"

"No. Oh, no. Nothing so simple." Temari's voice took on a growling note. "Do you _know_ where Lady Mikoto has assigned me to work for the next several months?" She swept on without giving him a chance to respond. "In the _daycare_ facility for the children of the staff who work in the main house during the day. With lots, and lots, and _lots_ of pretty Uchiha babies and toddlers."

Giving in to his nearly uncontrollable urge to laugh would _not,_ he sensed, be a good idea. Sinking down into the other chair, he said uncertainly, "I'm - sorry?"

She flashed him a suspicious look. "So, you didn't know what your mother had planned?"

Itachi lifted placating hands. "No, I swear I had no idea. Certainly not that she, er-"

"-Would make it flagrantly clear that she wants to be a grandmother?" Temari snapped acerbically.

Feeling impelled to defend his mother, Itachi said as reasonably as he could, "She's only anticipating what should happen in the normal course of things." He almost instantly regretted his words, however, when Temari's expression went flat and closed.

"As in, if I were a proper wife to you, you mean." Her tone was brittle as thin ice. She gripped the arms of her chair so tightly her knuckles went white. "I - know - you're being very patient with me- And I do appreciate it-"

"'Mari." He desperately wished he could reach over and take her hands in his, smooth away the tension in them with the gentleness of his touch. Remembering his conversation with Sasuke that very morning, he met her gaze openly, laying his heart out for her to read if she wanted to do so. "I didn't mean it that way," he said very quietly. "It wasn't my intention to try to get a dig in at you. I understand why you're holding yourself from me. I understand you need time to learn to trust and, hopefully, come to love me. I'm willing to wait for however long that takes." As he spoke he resolutely ignored the clock of his life ticking away in the back of his mind.

Temari's eyes widened slightly as she returned his gaze, an unaccustomed vulnerability coming into hers. Her lips parted, the tip of her tongue darting in a moisturizing pass across them-

-Just as a soft knock sounded at their door. She visibly startled, bright color rushing into her cheeks.

"That's, ah, probably our dinner," she blurted out. "I didn't feel up to facing Lady Mikoto across the dinner table; didn't know if I could keep from saying something - impolite - to her. I hope that was okay?"

Ordinarily, on a day-to-day basis, members of the main house Uchiha were discouraged from taking advantage of their positions and causing extra work for the staff. But since one: he and Temari were still newlyweds; and two: Mikoto, along with probably the entire kitchen staff and who knew who else, very likely thought they were planning a cozy evening of working on engendering a pretty Uchiha baby of their own, Itachi very much doubted anything would be said to either of them.

When he went to the door to accept their dinner tray from a young woman, whose hair was tidily covered by a kitchen worker's white kerchief, the tiny, not-quite-suppressed grin on her face only confirmed his suspicions.

During their meal Itachi managed to draw out of Temari some of the details on how her day had truly gone. They were laughing over one particular incident, in which a toddler had decided to fingerpaint a funny face on her sleeping brother's diapered bottom, when she abruptly broke off with a muffled exclamation. Leaning sharply forward, she caught his right wrist in her left hand and pushed the cuff of his sleeve a little higher with her thumb. "Itachi! Is that a _bruise_?" she demanded.

_Oh, crap._ Resisting the urge to yank his sleeve down again, Itachi glanced at the large red, purple, and black mark, then lifted one shoulder in a casual shrug. "Sasuke and I met for a sparring session this morning. Even though we employ light contact, inadvertently blocking bone on bone isn't a good idea."

"This came from _light_ contact?" Temari looked and sounded horrified.

Glad for once his wife would have no opportunity in the near future to see the patchwork of bruising on the rest of his body - another reminder of his progressing illness - Itachi crookedly grinned in what he hoped was an endearing fashion. "Well, we are Uchiha, and brothers. We might occasionally get a little - overenthusiastic. This is the exception rather than the rule. We know our distances."

Muttering something that sounded a lot like "Men are such idiots!" under her breath, Temari released his wrist and returned to her meal.

Later, after dinner, Itachi and Temari played their usual game of _shougi_ before retiring for the evening. Though not nearly as experienced a player as Noriyuki, her game showed steady improvement, at times even presenting a real challenge to Itachi. Tonight, though, her fatigue showed in her play, resulting in a shorter than normal game.

"Sorry," she said around a wide yawn as she helped Itachi stow the pieces in their box, "but those kids really took it out of me today."

"No need to apologize," he said. Standing, he extended a hand to help her to her feet, which she accepted. "I'll be quick about my routine so you can get to bed sooner."

He hurried through his bath, then quickly gathered up the bedding he'd need for the night. As they passed in the doorway, Temari laid a hand on Itachi's arm, causing him to pause and look a question at her. "Thanks, Itachi," she said, her expression verging on being uncomfortable. Taking in a sudden deep breath, she stretched up and lightly touched her lips to his cheek. "I - really do like you, you know," she added all in a rush. Blushing deeply, she stepped fully into the bedroom and hastily closed the door between them.

Itachi stood, thunderstruck, for a long moment, staring at the rice paper panel separating him from his wife. Hope blazed up within him as, with a silly little grin plastered across his face, he made up his futon as usual. This was the first time since she'd awkwardly hugged him the evening after that disastrous picnic that she'd initiated such contact with him; and it made his heart soar. He settled himself to sleep, which was a long time coming as he tried to discipline his unruly, but thoroughly natural, thoughts.

He woke what felt like only a short time later. His eyes snapped open on darkness, his senses on high alert. He was sure he'd heard movement somewhere in the suite. _Was that Temari?_ He raised up onto an elbow, listening intently through the muted murmuring of his blood pulsing in his ears for a repetition: for the soft scuff of a bare foot on the tatami, or the door to the necessary whispering shut. . .

A muffled scream from the bedroom shattered the silence of the night, closely followed by the sound of a short, sharp scuffle and a man's snarled curse. Reacting on pure, adrenaline-fueled instinct, Itachi leapt to his feet and across the room in what felt like a single heartbeat. Stars swam in front of his eyes from his sudden change in altitude. Blinking them away, he ripped open the shouji between the living area and the bedroom. He lunged for the low bed, sensing more than seeing the dark, half-crouching figure swinging around to meet his rush.

Something about the man's movement sent a subliminal clue to Itachi, alerting him in time to dodge the wicked slice of a knife. Tracking the hissing swish as it cut the air from left to right toward his midriff, he stepped forward in an attack of his own. He grabbed hold of his opponent's wrist with his left hand, catching him above the elbow with the crook of his arm as he bore down in a joint lock.

But even as the guttural sound of the man's grunt combined with the muted thump of his knife hitting the tatami matting, the unknown assailant launched a counterattack: pivoting in toward Itachi he launched a somewhat foreshortened punch to Itachi's right kidney, then repeated the blow. As Itachi gasped and doubled over, he lost his hold on his opponent's right arm, which quickly grabbed him in a chokehold. An instant later, he felt himself pulled in closer and a hoarse whisper sounded in his ear - _"If you're not interested in the little woman, maybe next time I'll help myself to her"_ - before a shove sent him sprawling down backwards to land on top of Temari, who went "Oomph!" There was a brief scrabbling sound across the tatami as he retrieved his knife. Then his retreating footsteps thudded away, toward the window. For one second, maybe two, the intruder's silhouette showed black and solid against the softer darkness of the night beyond-

-And then he was gone.

Gasping, in pain, but furiously determined to give chase, Itachi rolled onto his hands and knees on the bed, only vaguely aware of his wife squirming beneath him. Scrambling to his feet, he half-ran, half-staggered toward the window. He actually had his hands on the frame ready to vault out when a light snapped on behind him, effectively destroying his night vision, as Temari said sharply, "Itachi, don't! He's armed and you aren't."

Swallowing back a growl of frustration, he turned back into the room, guilt over not immediately thinking to check on Temari's welfare belatedly piercing through the fight impulses coursing along his nerves and arteries. Standing as straight as he could, he approached the bed where his wife was pushing herself upright. His eyes went directly to a splatter of red across the upper edge of her sleep top, and the skin showing above it.

All thoughts of pursuing the intruder vanished as he hurried the last few steps, exclaiming, "Temari! You're bleeding!" Dropping onto the edge of the bed he reached for her anxiously, eyes searching for the source of the blood.

Not unkindly, she batted his hands away. "It's his, not mine," she said impatiently. She gestured to one side, where a pair of bladed fans lay next to her. "I think I managed to get him across the cheek. -You've got blood on your yukata, too," she added quite prosaically.

"You sleep with bladed fans?" Itachi blankly blurted out the first thought that came into his head. He didn't know whether to feel hurt, or offended, or both.

Temari's cheeks pinked. "Not because I'm afraid of _you_," she said hastily. "It's - just a habit I got into when I was a kid."

_And you had to protect your younger brother from your father._ Itachi gave himself a little shake. "Thank all the good spirits and ancestors you do," he murmured, unable to forbear from asking again, "You're sure you're all right?"

"Mostly." Glancing down at herself, she paled and swallowed convulsively. "If it's all the same to you, I think I want to get his blood off me, though, and put this top to soak." Throwing her covers back, she broke abruptly for the other side of the bed, the one closer to the washroom. "Hand your yukata around the corner when you've changed, I'll put it to soak, too," she tossed over her shoulder. "And d'you think you should call the guards?"

_Probably_, Itachi thought as he hastily stripped off his soiled garment and replaced it with a clean one. But a gut-deep sense of unease kept him from doing so - which was crazy, considering. And how was he going to explain to Temari why he hadn't?

The decision was taken out of his hands when a heavy knock sounded on the frame of the door giving onto the verandah. Temari, scrubbed and wearing a fresh top, bounced out of the bathing room. "Is that the guard?" she queried.

"No," Itachi said slowly as the knock came again, even more emphatically. "I think it's Father." _And what is _he_ doing at our door at this hour, unless-_ He swung around and swiftly moved to take his wife's shoulders in a light but urgent grip. "Temari," he spoke hurriedly in a low, earnest voice, "I don't have time to explain, but can you trust me enough to follow my lead and say nothing about our intruder unless I do?"

Temari gave him a look compounded of suspicion and curiosity before jerking her chin once in the affirmative. As he gave her a grateful nod and started to turn away, a call of "Itachi!" accompanied by several harder raps penetrated to them. A sudden look of alarm flashed across her face, and she caught at his arm.

"Itachi!" she hissed under her breath. "The futon! If he sees it-"

He briefly covered her hand with his own and pressed it reassuringly. "No time to do anything about it now, love," he said, the endearment slipping past his lips so naturally he barely registered it. "Maybe - you had better stay in here." Unconsciously standing straighter for the confrontation to come, Itachi went into the living room. Just as he reached to switch on a light, the outer door slammed open and the overhead light flashed on. His father strode commandingly to the center of the room, and halted.

One glance at Fugaku told Itachi his father was in a towering temper, even though the older man was making an effort to hide it. He didn't miss the squinting, half-second flicker of his father's eyes to where his abandoned bedding lay, confirming his suspicions: Fugaku already knew about their separate sleeping arrangements and had come to see the truth of it for himself. Steadying his nerves, he arched one brow and said dryly, "Yes, Father?"

Fugaku's dark brown eyes bored into Itachi's. His fingers flexed ever so slightly, as though he were struggling to keep them from clenching into fists. "A couple of guards thought they saw a dark figure skulking around in the gardens," he said abruptly. "I wanted you to be aware of the situation so you could be on the alert. Though it seems you were already up."

"Yes." Itachi refused to act nervous, or embarrassed, or in any way discomposed. And to his faint surprise his strategy seemed to have an effect on his father, who seemed somewhat uncertain of how to proceed.

"So everything's okay here? Nobody's - sick, or anything?" Fugaku's gaze darted past him just as Itachi sensed Temari's presence behind his left shoulder. He felt his first stab of apprehension. He wanted desperately to turn and shut her into the bedroom, away from the explosion he was sure was only seconds away.

"We're both fine," he responded, maintaining his outward air of calm even as his abdominal muscles tightened. He added with perfect courtesy, "Though we thank you for asking." _Go back, Temari, please go back-_

The attack came, as suddenly as a snake striking. Fugaku jabbed an accusing finger at the futon and demanded harshly, "Then what is _that_?"

Itachi heard Temari's soft intake of breath even as he halfway expected the bedding to burst into flames. It cost him not to react, but he said evenly, "That is a futon, where I sleep."

Fugaku's face, already flushed, turning an alarming shade of red. "Don't get smart with me! Where - you - sleep." He spaced the words out, giving them the force of physical blows. His heavy shoulders hunched and now his hands did clench into fists. "Are you saying," his voice came out in a grating roar, "you have _never_ done your duty to your clan and slept with your wife?"

Itachi met his father's glare squarely. "That is exactly what I'm saying," he said quietly.

The older man's burning gaze went past him again, centering on Temari, whose trembling Itachi could feel across the small space separating them. Lips twisting in a sneer, Fugaku growled contemptuously, "Are you a man, or not? Just _take_ her, and be done with it. She'll get used to it soon enough."

Behind him, Temari audibly gasped. Deep within Itachi a previously unsuspected, primitive part of him leapt up, roaring, _Yes! Yes! Finally, _mine_!_ Shamed and shaken, feeling somehow soiled, he ruthlessly suppressed the beast, sealing it away. Very much aware of Temari at his shoulder, he said with cold, deadly precision, "Surely I mistook your meaning, Father. Are you ordering me to _rape_ my wife?" Angrier than he'd ever felt in his life, he went on, "That will not happen. You arranged this marriage for us. You even set our wedding date. But in _this_ you have no say. _This_ you cannot control. Temari and I will consummate our marriage when we _both_ decide the time is right."

A vein throbbed over one of Fugaku's temples. He ground out, "You have a _duty_ to this clan-"

Itachi cut him off. "A duty that will be fulfilled at a time of _our_ own choosing. _Not_ yours. The subject is closed."

Scowling fiercely, Fugaku uttered a harsh crack of laughter. "Oh, it's far from being _that_, boy. You're not the head of this clan yet. Just keep in mind that a _childless_ heir is no heir at all. You have a brother who can take your place." He stomped toward the outer door and through it, not bothering to close it behind him.

Itachi stared after his father for a long, long moment, fury and a powerful urge to break something - anything! - surging around inside him. _Childless or not, I'm never going to be the head of this clan. Sasuke will be anyway._ He thought about hurling those words after Fugaku. A short-lived sense of bitter satisfaction at the knowledge of his own impending death joined the tumult of emotions making him shake and feel sick to his stomach.

A muffled sob from Temari brought him back to himself. Turning, he swiftly took in the stricken expression on her ashen, tear-streaked face; how she shook from head to foot; the way she had one arm clamped around her diaphragm as she covered her mouth with her other hand. Meeting his eyes with difficulty, she stammered past her fingers, "I-t-t-achi, I am s-s-so s-s-sorry! He's as m-m-much a b-beast as m-my own father was. This is all m-my f-f-fault-"

Reaching out, Itachi carefully gathered her into his arms and cherished her against him. "_Your_ fault my father is an overbearing control freak? I don't think so." He tried to make his tone as light and soothing as possible. Bending his head to rest his cheek on top of her head, he added, "He's not going to go straight out and disinherit me, you know, although he might want us to think so. He's just furious because things aren't going exactly the way he wants them to go."

She shivered quietly within his gentle hold for several long minutes, before taking her hand away from her mouth to ask, "But _why_ does it matter so much to him that we haven't - slept - together yet? Didn't his reaction seem a little - extreme?"

Her question verged on dangerous ground, making Itachi wonder just exactly what he should - or shouldn't - tell her. "I don't know how it is in Suna," he replied, "but in Konoha, if a marriage isn't consummated, it can be annulled, be it days, weeks, or months later, as long as the wife proves she's still a virgin. If you were to decide you'd rather go back to your home village to live than be my wife, Father would lose a lot of face. And for a man of his temperament and position within the village, that would be very damaging."

"Oh." He sensed her thinking that over as her trembling gradually eased. At last she sighed deeply, her warm breath finding its way between the overlapping panels of his yukata to caress his skin. As he fought down a shiver of his own, she murmured, "Not to mention what it would do to your reputation. I won't do that to you, Itachi. I promise I won't." She lifted her head to look him in the eyes. "You called me 'love' earlier," she said, sounding more than a little nervous and uncertain.

Itachi smiled down at her tenderly, loosening his hold so she could pull away if she wanted to do so. "So I did," he agreed easily. "And so you are. Does that frighten you?"

"No." Her denial was instant, but she followed it up with, "A little uncomfortable, maybe, because I just _can't_ honestly say it back to you. As I told you earlier this evening, I do like you - I like you a lot. Maybe I'm even getting - close - to loving you. But for now I-" She broke off.

"It's all right. I'll wait the rest of my life for you if that's what it takes." Itachi wondered for a brief second if it would be breaking his vow if he brushed a light kiss onto her forehead; decided regretfully that he'd better not take the chance. "One thing I can tell you, though," he said as he gently set her away from him. "Our sleeping arrangements are going to have to change slightly." And as her forehead puckered very slightly, "I'm not taking any chances. I'm sleeping _under_ the bedroom window from now on. And if I snore too loudly," he went on in a teasing tone, "you can chuck one of your bladed fans at me."

Temari gave him a long, considering look, which Itachi returned steadfastly. Finally her lips twitched. "Don't think I won't," she said tartly. She stepped back, adding, "I'll go rinse my top and your yukata and hang them to dry while you move your futon."

All the time he shifted his bedding, not neglecting to lay a naked katana next to his new sleeping place, and long after he and Temari had settled again, Itachi heard that lewd whisper, _"...next time I might help myself..."_ echoing in the back of his mind.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ And another seven months go by before another update... I'm so sorry! But this story has required such a massive amount of rewrites, my co-author (I adore working with her!) and I literally discuss every last little detail before we set fingers to keyboard. We hate making you all wait so long between chapters, but we're going for quality instead of quantity, and we want to make sure we present to you the best story we possibly can. Thank you all _so much_ for your patience, we hope this chapter was worth the wait, and thanks for reading!


	26. Dangerous

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _Anaquine_, _rao hyuga 18_, _DSaph_, _372259_, _CrowGoddess_, and _kit_ for all your reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this to their favoites and follows lists!

**Author's Note:** Eight months after the last update (to the day), I bring you another! I really appreciate your patience, because my co-author and I are putting every effort into this story - but we're also both really busy. I've learned a lot about writing since originally writing this several years ago, which is why I'm able to do things more smoothly with my other stories. But back then I was a mess, and it's taking us quite a while to fix all the things I messed up way back then. Plus this story has a _huge_ scope, and we're always having to double, triple, even quadruple check after ourselves to make sure we're not contradicting ourselves or slipping off our timeline. I know it seems like forever between updates, but I promise, each chapter is so much better than it would be otherwise if we rushed the updates and skimped on the quality. So both Mama Jo and I appreciate your patience so much. Thanks for reading!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter XXVI~*<strong>

_~Dangerous~_

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><p>The last Friday of every month was rapidly becoming her favorite day.<p>

Warmth lingered in her muscles as Tenten slipped from her private bath house in the guards' barracks. With plenty of time left until Hinata finished her meetings with the heads of the household staff, Tenten was free to spend it with Neji now she'd completed her _other_ usual routine.

Steps light, she hurried along the now-familiar paths through the gardens to the rose-covered gazebo Tenten thought of as hers and Neji's. Mentally preparing herself for the possibility that he might be late again, she felt surprised delight flare through her when a flicker of movement just within the doorway greeted her arrival in the tiny clearing. Neji had actually beaten her to the gazebo!

She hurtled across the open space and up the steps. He met her at the top, catching her to his chest hard enough to make her gasp slightly. Lifting her from her feet as he took a couple of steps backward into the sweetly scented dimness, he brought his mouth down on hers in a deep, demanding kiss that left her dizzy, and breathless, and ready to go down to him in a moment if he so desired.

Still kissing her, Neji continued to retreat deeper into the gazebo, turning to one side as he did so, until they fetched up in the corner to the right of the entrance. Arms twined tightly around his neck, Tenten barely realized she clung just as tightly to him with her legs, using their considerable strength to pull him even closer to her. When he eventually would have released her lips and pulled away, she followed after him, with a husky whisper of, "My Lord Neji-"

He brushed his lips lingeringly across hers, while his hands moved in small, shiver-inducing patterns on her back. His breath puffed sweetly into her mouth as he started to whisper in return, "My Lady Tenaci-"

"Tenten! Tenten, are you in there?"

Even as panic kicked her heart into an entirely different racing beat, and she felt herself go instantly from flushed to pale, Tenten's mind was calculating, triangulating the location of the unexpected male voice: _He's just barely inside the clearing._ Slipping silently free of her love's embrace, she pressed a hand briefly to his rigid chest, which vibrated to the beat of his own pounding heart. She urged him into a deeper pool of shadows as she mouthed, _I'll get rid of whoever it is_, before she stepped away from him, reaching deep within for that icy calm center she found in the heat of battle. Pressing her lips together into a line of displeasure, as much to conceal any swelling in them as to bolster her act, she marched coolly to the doorway and halted squarely within the opening.

_Hyuuga K__ō._

She immediately recognized the man, who halted his advance halfway across the clearing at the sight of her, as one of Hinata's many-times-removed cousins and a higher-ranking member of the guard corps, a man not too many years older than herself. His lips curved in a hesitant smile as he said brightly, "So this is where you got to, Tenten! I thought I'd lost you." He turned his head to glance around his surroundings and added in an amazed tone, "I didn't even know this place was here! How did you find it?"

"Lady Hinata showed it to me," Tenten replied distantly. She added, a touch repressively, "My lady knows, guarding her as I do, I don't have the chance to meditate as much as I'm used to. She assured me I would be able to do so here on my day off-" she paused half a second to give the word more weight "-undisturbed."

"Oh." A touch of color came into Kō's cheeks. "And I disturbed you. I'm sorry, Tenten." She got the distinct impression he was fighting an urge to shuffle his feet. He went on in a rush, "I just- I've spoken with Hatake Kakashi about you, and I know he said you're not interested in romance - because you're so devoted to your job, I mean, and you're really _good_ at what you do - but I still had to try. Would - would you like to have dinner with me, maybe? Like after we finish training next time? I'd really like to court you."

He looked so hopeful, Tenten had the sense she was kicking a puppy even as a fierce denial rose up and roared inside her. She had nothing against Kō. He was a strong man, loyal and smart and not bad looking at all. But she could never love him.

She loved Neji. Whose life hung in the balance this very second.

"I'm sorry," she said, giving her head a single, firm shake. "I admire you greatly, Kō, as a man and as a warrior. But my brother is right. I _am_ too committed to my job to even consider romance. Lady Hinata's safety and well-being are my sole focus."

It was a lie, certainly. But she could unflinchingly utter it with the knowledge it was the best thing she could say for everyone's sake. Better for Kō to think she rejected his advance because of her job, not because she already loved someone else. He might get curious if he knew, and start asking around, or observing her more closely. And _that_ was just too messy and dangerous to risk.

"Oh." Kō searched her expression with an earnest look. Hard as it was, Tenten maintained an attitude of indifference under it. His shoulders slumped with obvious disappointment as he did actually shuffle his feet against the path. "I-I'm sorry I bothered you, Tenten. I'll let you get back to meditating in peace, then." With a sad little bow, he turned and ambled off dejectedly out of the clearing.

She watched him go with her heart in her throat, keenly aware of Neji on the other side of the wall from her. Now that the immediate danger of discovery was over, she wanted to shake, but didn't dare let herself succumb to such weakness. Not yet. After a slow sixty-count, she murmured over her shoulder into the dimness of the gazebo's interior, "I'm going to make sure he's really gone," before descending the steps and crossing the open space to the enclosing hedge. More quietly than the shadows falling over the path, she ghosted along in Kō's wake.

Nothing. The guardsman was well and truly gone.

Fighting off the incipient tremors in her limbs, Tenten returned to the gazebo, and Neji. She couldn't hold them back, though, once she was in his arms again. They clung together for a long time, shivering almost in unison at the closeness of their call.

"Run away with me."

The words fell between their barely-parted lips with the weight of a brick, heavy and condemning and dangerous. Tenten bit her tongue so hard she tasted blood as Neji's breath audibly caught in his throat. His body snapped into rigidity against hers. She sensed him pulling back from her, emotionally as well as physically.

"What?" Neji's whisper, a breathy thread of sound, felt almost worse than Tenten's own words.

Turning her face from his shocked gaze, Tenten shook her head. "I shouldn't have said that," she whispered, feeling tears threaten. "I'm sorry." But she wasn't, not really. She knew if she were given a chance to go back in time and relive the moment, she'd still say the same thing.

It was frightening, knowing this ugly side of her existed. To realize she would willingly walk away from it all: her brother, who had loved, and cared for, and taught her everything she knew; Konoha, the one place in the world she felt she could so easily call home; and most of all Hinata, her gentle mistress and friend, who didn't deserve such a betrayal. But she loved Neji that much. Enough to turn her back on everything and everyone; to leave the safe and familiar if it meant being able to carry the man she loved away from this terrible existence, and having him all to herself for the rest of their lives.

"Tenten..." As Neji stared at her, she saw so many emotions warring for dominance behind his eyes. She sensed the love, hope, hesitance, fear, distrust - not of her, but that such a thing might even be possible - and a thousand other things it broke her heart to see. "If I but could." He looked away, releasing her from the guilt-inducing weight of his gaze. "But if we did, we would not have a life. Maybe we could marry under false names, but we would be running, always running. And not necessarily just from anything tangible, like people - though I'm sure guards would be dispatched to attempt to find us - but from guilt. Which is worse, Tenten?"

It was devastatingly humbling, knowing Neji was the more rational one between them. He, who would receive so many advantages if they _did_ run away, knew the wisdom in _not_ doing so.

Did that make her a bad person for wanting to run? For _suggesting_ they do so, let alone even _thinking_ it?

He drew in a deep breath, his chest expanding jerkily against hers. "No," he whispered, his breath stirring the hairs at the crown of her head as he rested his cheek on top of it. "Better for you to forget me and marry someone like Kō. Someone who could give you a good life, a safe life; who could give you the world." A nearly silent laugh escaped him, sounding bitter. "Not like me, who can give you nothing. Nothing but strife, and heartache, and the promise of death, were we ever to be caught." His arms briefly tightened around her, then began to loosen. "You deserve far better than that."

"But I don't _want_ what you describe," Tenten insisted firmly. She tightened her arms around Neji, determined not to let go even though he seemed equally determined about setting her away from him. "I want _you_, Neji. _I - love - you_. Not him. Not anyone else. Any amount of pain is worth it, just so long as we can be together. Even - even like this." _It's better than nothing - than not having you in my life at all._ Her throat felt too tight to let the words escape. So she caught his face between her hands and tried to let her eyes say everything instead.

Neji was silent for a long time, his hands resting loosely against her waist, his intense pearlescent eyes studying her as if to ascertain the truth in her words. Tenten saw the shift in his gaze only an instant before he gathered her to him again, holding her body fiercely against his as he whispered, "Ancestors help me-" his breath caught for a moment before he continued "-but I love you, too. Enough to give up everything, even though I have nothing to give."

His mouth came down hungrily on hers again. Responding to his kiss with more than a little desperation, Tenten knew this had to be enough, at least for now, as she hung on to the belief there was hope on the horizon.

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><p><em>Ching ching ching, ching-ching, ching ching ching-<em>

The kunai blades chimed and sang against each other in a strict yet fluid rhythm.

_Pirouette, block low, then high-_

The tempo of the dance picked up as its climax approached; the part where Hinata usually got overwhelmed by the sense of how seriously dangerous a misstep could be and lost her timing. _C'mon, Hina,_ Tenten silently urged her friend without losing an iota of her own concentration. _You can _do_ this, I know you can-_ She herself always took the role of "loser" in the dance, assuring the heiress she would easily be able to compensate for any miscalculations on her part as the "aggressor." Plus, she privately didn't consider it a good idea if someone like, oh, say, Hanabi, discovered them with her seemingly trying to kill her mistress...

The crucial series of movements arrived. Instead of backing off as she normally did, Hinata pressed her choreographed attack, her knives flashing and connecting with Tenten's in a fierce onslaught that ended with Tenten disarmed and the heiress's weapons scissored a handspan from her bodyguard's throat. The two young women held their final poses for a moment before Tenten broke out in a wide grin as Hinata simultaneously looked disbelieving.

"I-I-I-" Hinata stammered, allowing her hands to drop to her sides.

Tenten grabbed her in an enthusiastic hug. "You did it! You broke through the wall that's been holding you back! Oh, I am so _proud_ of you, Hina, I wish I could show you off to someone who can really appreciate what you're capable of doing, like Kakashi!"

Hinata's expression shifted to one of pleasure, and pride, and embarrassment all at once. "D-do you really think he'd b-be impressed?"

"I know he would be!"

They ran through the dance twice more, to consolidate the advance in Hinata's confidence. Each time the heiress's performance was even smoother than the last, proving the first had been no fluke. At the end of it, her mistress executed a little impromptu dance step and virtually crowed, "I m-mastered it! Finally! Now, p-please say I'm ready to learn to use a k-katana, Tenten."

Tenten had to laugh affectionately. "You are something else, Hinata. Tell me, did your fore_mothers_ actually fight in the battle to rule Konoha?" She sobered. "You do realize learning to wield a katana is going to be a lot harder than throwing shuriken or doing this dance. You'll need to increase your overall body strength, as well as your stamina."

Hinata put her chin up slightly, her eyes - so like Neji's - gleaming with excitement and determination. "You d-don't think I can d-do it?"

"No, I believe you can," Tenten said seriously. "I just want you to be aware that, even though we'll start out with bamboo swords, you're going to be very, very sore for what will feel like a very, very long time."

It was Hinata's turn to breathe a soft laugh. "It c-can't be worse than learning t-to ride a horse!" she said wryly, rubbing her backside reminiscently.

Tenten's lips quirked. "Don't be too sure about that."

Hinata jerked her chin downward in a firm nod. "Then let's g-get started on making me stronger right n-now."

Much later, as she waited for her turn, Tenten reflected that one of the major advantages to being a princess was always having first dibs on the bathing room. Though to be honest, the heiress had totally earned the right. She'd thrown herself whole-heartedly into the exercise regimen Tenten devised for her, working out until sweat drenched her raven hair and her limbs trembled with exhaustion, all without a word of complaint. In light of her extremely sheltered upbringing, she couldn't help but wonder where the other young woman got her healthy dose of spunk.

Just as she and Kakashi did for each other after an intense workout, Tenten gave Hinata a thorough rubdown once she'd exited the bath. Leaving the heiress bonelessly prone on her bed, she took a bath herself, despite the fact she'd barely broken a sweat. Still, it felt good to scrub down and then soak luxuriously in the deep tub. She more than half expected her friend to be sound asleep when she finished her own bath. To her surprise, however, she saw the bedroom was empty as she entered it. Curious, she stepped lightly to the door to the sitting room.

Hinata stood staring out into the garden, a loosely-rolled scroll dangling from one hand. Her expression, which had been so bright and joyful even through her exhaustion, was now shuttered and distant. Already certain what she would see, Tenten's eyes darted from her mistress's face to what she could see of the scroll, unsurprised to discern part of the ruler of Suna's crest on the outside of the parchment.

"Hinata?" she queried softly. "Are you all right?"

For a long moment Tenten didn't think the other woman was going to answer; didn't know if she'd even been heard. Then, without looking around, Hinata said tonelessly, "Lord G-Gaara will b-be arriving in Konoha in a c-couple of weeks. He writes that he's v-very m-much looking f-forward to the t-tea ceremony my f-father has promised I will p-perform f-for him."

Tenten's heart stuttered in horror and hatred as she recognized another high-handed attempt on Lord Hiashi's part to force his daughter to accept the Sunese lord's suit. For the first time in her life, she fiercely wished she could cold-bloodedly take someone's head: namely, Hiashi's. Battling back the urge, she asked in a near-whisper, "What are you going to do, Hinata?"

The heiress made a bitter, bitten-off sound. "Other than p-possibly c-committing _seppuku_? What else c-can I d-do? I c-cannot insult G-Gaara by refusing to p-perform the ceremony. This is n-not his f-fault."

"And - beyond that?" Tenten forced the words through her tight throat. When she received no immediate reply, she pushed a little harder. "There have been no further attempts on Lord Sasuke's life. We have no proof he _was_ the target of the dog attack. Do you think he's willing for you to sacrifice yourself to save him from a threat that may not even exist?" _And what about Neji?_ she wanted to scream in addition.

The sound of parchment crackling sharply pierced the tension-charged air between them as Hinata's fist clenched on the scroll. In the next instant, she flung it away from her in the most violent, uncontrolled gesture Tenten had ever seen her make. "L-leave m-me _alone!_" she cried. "I d-don't need you pressuring m-me, t-too! G-get out, and g-give me some p-peace f-for a while!"

Shocked, Tenten froze for a moment before bending at the waist in a deep bow, her face burning. "Very well, milady," she said quietly. She added as she moved to step out onto the verandah, "Be assured I shall not go far should you require me."

Not until she'd reached the bottom step did Hinata's shaky voice make her pause. "T-Tenten. Kn-know this: If I d-do accept Lord Gaara's suit, I've already d-decided to m-make N-Neji's accompanying m-me to S-Suna a condition of m-my acceptance. N-now g-go."

Tenten went.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ Eight months (to the day!) after the last update, I bring you another! Mama Jo and I really do appreciate your patience, though. We're both very busy, so we're having to work in rewrites of this story among several other things, both writing wise and in real life. I originally wrote this several years ago, and I've learned a _lot_ since then, so my more recent projects flow a lot more smoothly, which is why I update them so much faster. But I made such a mess of this one way back when, it's taking us a while to untangle all the threads and rework it so it makes sense. I know a lot of time does pass between chapters, but we want to give you quality, so we take the time to make sure everything ties in with the continuity we've previously set, and that it works with our timeline. We double, triple, even quadruple check ourselves to make sure we're bringing you the best story we can, because this story really has turned into our pet project. We both love it so much, and we don't want to disappoint you all by giving you something not up to par with the rest. Having said that, there _was_ going to be a third scene, but the two characters involved in it dug in their heels and refused to cooperate with either of us, insisting it should come later, and we finally gave in. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, thank you _so_ much for your patience, and I hope to see you again for the next update!


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